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* From Sen. Daniel Biss’ campaign…
Tomorrow morning at 10 am CT, I’ll be sharing some exciting news on Facebook Live. Because you and I have been on this journey together for so long, it would mean a lot to me if you could tune in.
I want to make sure you’re there for this. Click the “Get Reminder” button on this post, and Facebook will notify you when we’re about to go live.
We just wrapped up yet another week of legislative session in Springfield and, frustratingly, there is still no budget in sight. The longer this stalemate continues, the more people get hurt and the more our state’s fiscal situation deteriorates.
It’s time to be honest about why we’re in this mess — and to take bold new action to solve these problems.
I’ll be speaking to these issues, taking your questions — and sharing some exciting news — tomorrow at 10 am CT on Facebook Live.
Be sure you don’t miss this — head on over to our Facebook Live post and select “Get Reminder.” Then, tune in on Facebook at 10 am CT tomorrow and join the conversation in the comment section.
More soon,
Daniel
From what I’m hearing, he’s jumping into the governor’s race.
…Adding… Tribune…
Democratic state senator from Evanston who put together ads last fall attempting to link Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to President Donald Trump has told leading Democrats he will formally launch his campaign for governor on Monday, sources said. […]
Biss did not return calls for comment. But sources said that on Sunday he informed top Democratic officials and current and potential rivals in the March 2018 primary of his plans to run for governor. If he does so, Biss would be giving up his state Senate seat, which is up for election next year. […]
Madigan’s personal campaign fund gave $500,000 to the Biss super PAC. It also got money from longtime Democratic donors — including $3 million from money manager Michael Sacks and $1.25 million from media mogul Fred Eychaner — as well as from organized labor.
Other donors to the Biss PAC included Chicago businessman Chris Kennedy, who already has announced his candidacy for governor, and Chicago entrepreneur and investor J.B. Pritzker, who last week formed an exploratory committee for a run for governor.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The predictable ILGOP response…
“Don’t let his exterior fool you, Daniel Biss is the North Shore branch of the Madigan machine. Biss has taken over $260,000 in Madigan money, supported Madigan for Speaker and voted for billions in unbalanced Madigan spending. Last fall, Biss proved his loyalty to Speaker Madigan once and for all by running a Madigan political front group that spent millions leading up to the Election.
“Daniel Biss is a willing Mike Madigan accomplice who would give the Governor’s office back to the Chicago machine.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
Daniel Biss has transformed into another member of Mike Madigan’s machine.
Financial records reveal that Biss has taken over $260,000 in tainted Madigan money.
In exchange, Biss supported Madigan for Speaker.
As a state representative, Biss voted for every enacted Madigan budget, adding billions in debt.
Biss even supported Madigan’s $7 billion out-of-whack budget proposal in the Senate last year. That spending proposal was the most unbalanced in Illinois history.
Biss is so loyal to Madigan that he was tapped to run Madigan’s political front group – LIFT.
We can’t afford a Mike Madigan accomplice in the Governor’s office.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Ameya Pawar…
“Senator Biss is a good friend and I welcome him to the race for governor. As I’ve been touring the state and meeting with people in my own campaign for governor, I’ve said that if we expect our government to be a force for good we have to elect people who believe in the role of government to ensure a more fair, just and equal society. We need good people like Senator Biss to join in the conversation about changing the direction of our state and addressing the real and immediate issues we face in Illinois.”
- Pressure - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 8:22 am:
Madigan finally reveals himself. Biss is a total Madigan puppet. Clearly there was a deal struck with Madigan when Biss dropped out of the comptroller’s race.
- cdog - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 8:32 am:
Boss has my attention.
Play Madigan’s game? Ya, I donno ’bout that. I will move away very fast if all that Madigan mumbo-jumbo becomes Bis’ talking points.
- JoeMaddon - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 8:37 am:
LOL. Madigan has been heavily pushing Pritzker for months. But sure - Biss is a Madigan puppet. *rolls eyes*
- red raider - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 8:46 am:
With the impasse with Rauner and State employees, it will be interesting to see how Biss is reacted to by Retirees that won’t forget how Biss not only voted for, but sponsored SB 1 the pension bill overturned by the Courts. The primary will be a challenge for him.
- titan - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 8:47 am:
Not much of a surprise if he does
- VanillaMan - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 8:47 am:
Biss knows how to add. Establish credibility as a no-nonsense answer to Rauner. Dump the Trump talk. Be the pragmatist. Don’t be cute. Show him as a negotiator.
Shun political talk. Ignore cat-calls to drag him into the Madigan-Rauner playground fight.
Don’t play Rauner’s game. Don’t lower him down to Rauner’s level. Be the adult.
Avoid current political morass. Don’t get sucked into it.
Illinoisans want an answer and know there’s work ahead. Straight talk on fiscal issues. Claim that both sides in gridlock have a point to be made, but rise above the petty personal bickering.
Avoid social issues. Let Pritzker prattle on those. Stay in Kennedy’s draft until he gets knocked out. Let him take the hits.
Be the adult.
- BobO - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 8:48 am:
Dan knows the depth of Illinois’ budget problems and what it will take to resolve our budget impasse. This knowledge, along with his compassion and understanding of the importance of helping Illinois citizens in need, will be the best chance that we have of getting out of the mess that we are in.
- red raider - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 8:49 am:
> Biss is a total puppet
People like Puppets if they vote their way. We have a house and Senate full of Rauners puppets. The problem is that because the hand holding their spines is full of cash, they can only reach the ” Present” button
- Miss Marie - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 8:50 am:
This seems to be the perfect time for Biss to announce he’s running. Kennedy seems to have one awkward gaffe after another. And the Republican opposition would have a field day with that photo of JB Pritzker from the other day.
Maybe Biss can seize on all this awkwardness and separate himself as a real contender.
- The Way I See It - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 8:51 am:
He’s a bright guy, but I don’t see him as having the charisma to drive people to the polls against the tsunami of money coming from Rauner.
- blankster - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 8:52 am:
He’s a Madigan lackey. Unfortunately I live in his area.
- Anon - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 8:54 am:
I suppose the idea is that if there’s enough announced candidates it’s going to be pretty obvious that Rauner’s shop only produces one kind of negative attack and using it against all of them will limit the effectiveness.
- slow down - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:01 am:
I’m highly entertained by those that see him as a Madigan lackey. It begs the question of whether they’ve ever heard him speak or actually know who he is.
Biss is the antidote to the lockstep puppets that populate much of Springfield. I don’t always agree with his votes, but I’ve never questioned his sincerity or thoughtfulness. He is a smart and engaged politician who will undoubtedly play a meaningful part in lifting our state out of Rauner’s hole.
We need many, many more public servants like Biss.
- Miss Marie - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:01 am:
There’s a difference from playing the game and being a Madigan puppet. It would have been dumb for Biss to jump out of the Comptroller’s race without having Madigan owe him a (legal) favor. But he can take the money without being a Madigan puppet.
From what I’ve seen though, Biss isn’t a puppet. He’s able to think on his own and he’s a good guy.
- AnonymousOne - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:02 am:
Absolutely not from this retiree!!!!! No way!
- wordslinger - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:06 am:
Geez, Raunerbots, pick a lane. So far, you’ve got Madigan as the puppet master behind Biss, Kennedy and Prtizker.They don’t run trifectas in primaries.
How can that make sense to you? It’s ridiculous spin and makes you look crazy.
- Tapped in the 'burbs - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:07 am:
I just hope that he stays in the race. Voters need a real choice. The Dems will be well served by a vigorous primary where the candidates talk about issues and their plans. Attacking each other would be counterproductive. Stick to ideas.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:14 am:
===Absolutely not from this retiree!!!!!===
I see you’ve learned your lesson from Pat Quinn’s loss.
/s
- Curl of the Burl - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:17 am:
This is EXACTLY what Rauner wants. It reminds me of the Dem presidential primaries in 2004 and the GOP presidential primaries in 2012. The dislike and disdain for the incumbent is super strong - but instead of channeling that anger and that energy the party is going to implode if it has a bruising primary and leaves the incumbent with a leg up. I know people on this site dislike Rauner’s apparent control of the ILGOP but being honest it gives the state party a unified front for the most important office in the state. Rauner putting $100 million behind his own efforts in a non-presidential year with a fractured Democratic Party nominee may be plenty for him to coast to reelection.
- City Zen - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:18 am:
Seems like that pension python and Biss are a match made in marketing heaven.
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:31 am:
You can always count on the Tribune to be apolitical!
- Rich Miller - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:33 am:
===the party is going to implode if it has a bruising primary===
I can’t quite figure out if this argument is made by clueless people (who fail to realize that the only person that could clear the field would be MJM, which would then make the candidate an MJM candidate) or if it’s psy ops by the GOP.
This is a free country. If you can get enough signatures, you’re on the ballot. There’s a lot to be said for a tough primary. Barack Obama would never have been nominated for US Senate because there’s no way the party would’ve cleared the field for that guy.
- Springfieldish - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:41 am:
“This is EXACTLY what Rauner wants. It reminds me of the Dem presidential primaries in 2004 and the GOP presidential primaries in 2012. The dislike and disdain for the incumbent is super strong….”
So, what’s the point here? Are you saying the Democratic Party ought to sit behind closed doors and pick a single challenger? That’s not what the GOP did in 2014. Just because things happen in a sequence doesn’t actually mean they correlate and certainly doesn’t mean they’re causative.
- redraider - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:47 am:
Retirees will be forced to vote for Biss if he were the Democratic name on the Gubernatorial ballot in November, thus hopefully learning from the Quinn- Rauner debacle. In the Democratic primary they will not support Biss, Rich
- wordslinger - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:49 am:
Every one of these guys needs a primary race to get the free coverage that will build name recognition.
- VanillaMan - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 9:50 am:
With Rauner’s governing capitulation and drive towards euthaization of our state, the strongest 2018 candidate against him will be the one who will present a non-political somber presentation of the way out of the Rauner disaster.
Rauner can only win if the Democrat tries to beat him at his own game. Rauner’s multi-million dollar blame game is a dead end to avoid. Madigan needs no defense. Rauner will play a rerun of his finger-pointing death spiral, and his opponent has to keep out of it.
There won’t be a bruising primary. All three announced candidates are not willing to fight to the death over cleaning up Rauner’s fiasco. Whoever follows Governor Kevorkian will not have fun.
Everyone is sick of the petty squabbles. The winner in 2018 will be the one who won’t play that losing game.
Ignore Rauner. He has no credibility. Don’t play his game.
- Nick Name - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 10:04 am:
To the update: Every state Democratic politician who ever even gave Michael Madigan a casual glance is an operative in the _______ branch of the dreaded Madigan machine, an accomplice who has snorted tainted Madigan money up his/her nose, or whatever.
Thanks, ILGOP, got it.
PS. This “Madigan machine,” is it solar powered? If so, does that make the sun a Madigan accomplice?
- Deep West - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 10:11 am:
Step 1: Find $50 million.
- Ward Heeler - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 10:13 am:
False advertising from the GOP? It is more truthful to label Biss as a Schakowsky accomplice than a Madigan ally.
The Biss Amendment was a crock.
- Ron Burgundy - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 10:17 am:
I don’t know if Biss’ brand of liberalism is what the public wants or IL needs right now, but let’s have the conversation.
- Deft Wing - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 10:21 am:
Biss Miss Part Two!
Running for some semblance of recognition to maybe get picked up as a Lt. Governor candidate for JB would be his best explanation for this horrific decision.
- Anonymous - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 10:22 am:
Biss is liberal?
- Fixer - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 10:25 am:
Nick Name, yes, clearly.
- walker - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 10:25 am:
Skimming above comments and ran into a couple which made me think “Wow, that’s smart!”
Bingo! VanillaMan
- Clark - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 10:32 am:
“I don’t know if Biss’ brand of liberalism is what the public wants or IL needs right now, but let’s have the conversation.”
I think he might be on to something by taking the Bernie Sanders lite approach. Might actually get him through the primaries.
Personally, there’s something about that fake backdrop and obviously prepared Q’s and A’s (even though that standard for these things) that makes me roll my eyes. Biss had always intrigued me ever since he started the Trump/Rauner stuff so I’m actually interested in how this will play out.
- Ron Burgundy - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 10:35 am:
-Biss is liberal?-
Um, yeah. What do you think he is?
- VanillaMan - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 10:47 am:
Good response from Pawar.
Everyone wins if the Democrats running for office set a positive tone for our state. The more positive and optimistic Rauner’s opponents are, the sicker, petty and rotted Rauner looks.
No one likes where our politics is after three years. Whoever plays a repeat of that, loses.
- Norseman - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 10:48 am:
I’m not happy with Biss’ support of pension reduction for current employees and retirees, HOWEVER, he may be the best candidate to oppose Rauner. The only thing I like about Kennedy or Pritzker is that they have the money to counter Rauner money. If Biss can come up the money, he can articulate the issues much better.
Bottom line is that Rauner is a disaster for the State and has an animus toward it’s work force. Biss will be an improvement.
- Arthur Andersen - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 11:09 am:
What bothers me about Biss is that he still seems to think that SB1 was basically a good bill and he hasn’t refined his thinking on “pension reform” much at all since SB1 went down in flames.
- redraider - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 11:46 am:
HOWEVER, not sure that he is the best candidate to take on Rauner in that even if we can get those that turned in Quinn to engage, we still have the fact that he is a current legislator and worked closely with Madigan in November. I just don’t see it. Might appeal to some Voters, but many in the Southern caucus have already committed to Kennedy. Guess his entry at least adds intrigue.
- NIMBY - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 1:08 pm:
Biss’ senate seat is up for reelection in 2018 and, to my knowledge, he can’t file for both. This could mean an open seat.
- DuPage Bard - Monday, Mar 20, 17 @ 4:20 pm:
Interesting when is the last time Bruce had almost 18K views on one of his fabulous FB live shows? And the Gov actually promotes his deal, heavily.