RAUNER TO ANNOUNCE RE- ELECTION BID TODAY
Rauner to announce bid for re- election today, sources say
Gov. Bruce Rauner plans to formally announce his reelection bid on Monday in a video announcement, sources say— nearly amonth after he bucked ultra- conservative Republicans by signing into law a bill to expand taxpayerfunded abortions.
After signing HB40 on Sept. 28, there was speculation the Republican governor might not run. He’s considered a vulnerable incumbent Republican governor, and he has also faced criticism this year from conservatives over his signing of a bill that protects illegal immigrants from being detained solely based on their immigration status.
The video announcement, however, squashes those doubts. And he’ll have plenty of cash in his campaign war chest to strengthen his reelection bid. Rauner’s campaign had a hefty $ 65.5 million cash on hand on Oct. 1, with $ 50 million of the $ 70.9 million he raised coming from his own pockets.
Multiple sources confirmed Rauner would announce his campaign in a video Monday morning. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment Sunday evening.
Rauner in April kicked off a campaign- funded, two- day tour of the state, all the while denying that he was kicking off his re- election or that the 10 stops were campaignrelated.
“Are you running or are you not?” a reporter asked the governor.
“This is nothing to do with the election,” Rauner said April 11.
He declined to answer that question definitively for months, although his campaign had confirmed he was running, and nominating petitions are being circulated. The re- election bid comes on the heels of a tough budget and tax override and a rough summer in which he ousted several members of his inner circle, with others resigning in protest — followed by a series of public gaffes.
Throughout that time, he also faced constant attacks from Democratic governor candidates, including J. B. Pritzker, Chris Kennedy and state Sen. Daniel Biss.
Rauner faces no serious Republican challengers for the March primary, though some are mulling a run, including state Rep. Jeanne Ives, R- Wheaton.
Ives was among the governor’s most vocal critics after the signing of the abortion bill. In an interview with a downstate radio station on Friday, Ives accused the governor of betraying his party in signing the measure. She also confirmed she’s exploring a run while stating she didn’t believe he’d be reelected next year.