JUNE 12
LISA SPEAKS
Bill Daley made headlines Tuesday by announcing formation of his exploratory committee, but it's generally accepted that he won't stay in the race if Attorney General Lisa Madigan enters. Madigan on Tuesday gave not hint of what her decision will be.
Find out what's happening in Palatinewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"As I have long let the people of Illinois and the news media know, I am very seriously considering running for governor. That being said, my first priority continues to be serving as the state's attorney general," Madigan said, addressing reporters before a Rotary Club lunch in her honor at the Union League Club in Chicago. "I am pretty sure that the people of the state of Illinois are interested in results and are not as interested in the start of a new campaign."
And as has been noted in previous posts here, whether Madigan vacates the attorney general's office also will affect Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon's political future and possibly that of House Republican Leader Tom Cross, both of whom likely would run to succeed Madigan.
Find out what's happening in Palatinewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The image above, incidentally, comes from Chicago Tribune cartoonist Scott Stantis' cartoon today. See it here.
RAUNER ON TV
We may live an era of social media and candidates announcing their candidacies via youtube, but TV advertising remains the benchmark for measuring a campaign's strength. By that standard, GOP candidate for governor Bruce Rauner leads the pack by a wide margin. His first paid TV ads hit the airwaves on Tuesday. With his campaign raising $1.3 million in its first month and billionaire Rauner having pledged to put $50 million of his own money into the race, you can expect to see a lot more Rauner ads between now and the March 18 primary.
The 30-second spots both highlight Rauner's dominant campaign themes: Illinois government is corrupt, unions have too much control over the system (and both parties) and the state needs a political outsider like Rauner to fix it. (If viewing on your phone, see the videos here.)
First ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lroNotqwdx0
And the second ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XYdJDwchsf8#t=0s
Rauner hits the jobs and education themes hard. The biggest question is whether his anti-union message would be a boost or a detriment to him if he wins the primary and faces a union-endorsed Democrat in the general election.
How do these commercials play with you? Add your comments!
To check out the scorecard in its entirety, visit rebootillinois.com.
