* Ameya Pawar’s official response to JB Pritzker’s announcement sent to reporters…
“J.B. Pritzker is an accomplished investor and philanthropist and I welcome him to the race for governor. People are hungry for a governor who understands working families and my legislative record shows my commitment to protecting the middle class. I look forward to a healthy debate about the issues.”
* But this is what he sent to supporters…
Friend –
Moments ago, another billionaire entered the race for Governor. In a field of millionaires and billionaires, Ameya stands out as a voice for all of us – a leader with a strong track record as Alderman of delivering results for working families.
Big money politics shouldn’t limit what we can achieve as a state. When supporters like you speak up and chip in, we can fight back. Please show your support right now by donating $5, $10, $15 or whatever you can.
Ameya may not have a Springfield-backed Super PAC or a billion dollars, but what we’re building is far more powerful – thousands of grassroots supporters like you who are ready for real change.
The groundswell of support we see in town after town shows that voters are hungry for real change in Springfield. They’re looking for a progressive champion. A leader who isn’t afraid of taking on tough issues.
Now we need to keep this going to compete with our opponents’ big bank accounts and their special interest money. Can you chip in $5 or more to fuel our momentum?
Together, we’re sending a signal that people across Illinois are tired of the Trump/Rauner agenda, and ready to bring real change to Springfield.
I’ll post other reactions as they come in.
*** UPDATE *** United Working Families is a coalition that includes the Chicago Teachers Union, Cook County College Teachers Union and SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana. It sent out an e-mail today entitled “BREAKING: Battle of the Billionaires”…
It’s official: Billionaire investor J.B. Pritzker is entering the race for Illinois Governor.
If he wins the Democratic primary, he’ll square off against billionaire investor Bruce Rauner, who recently put $50 million of his own fortune into his re-election campaign.
Tired of being priced out of politics? Donate $5 or more a month to become a United Working Families member today.
A real estate mogul in the White House. An investment banker in Chicago’s City Hall. And now the billionaires are battling it out for the Illinois Governor’s mansion, while more and more working people are left behind.
It’s time to build something different: politics for the people, not the plutocrats. Become a member of United Working Families today.
In Solidarity,
Emma
- Rocky Rosi - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 2:52 pm:
I say sour grapes.
- huh? - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 2:59 pm:
“Springfield-backed Super PAC”
I’m confident Pawar’s ward has more big money donors than the entire city of Springfield.
- Ravenswood Right Winger - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 2:59 pm:
A lot of sour grapes.
- Amalia - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 2:59 pm:
sure hoping the primary field narrows.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 3:03 pm:
Pawar can’t even be honest for 10 minutes.
Speaks volumes about him, I guess.
I do enjoy novice candidates that think emails sent to one group that counter what they say publicly won’t find their way into the light.
That’s fun.
- Earnest - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 3:07 pm:
>Moments ago, another billionaire entered the race for Governor. In a field of millionaires and billionaires, Ameya stands out as a voice for all of us
That’s a long e-mail just to tell me he’s not a billionaire and not give me another reason to support him.
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 3:12 pm:
Compare and contrast; which of the two guys seems more real at this point.
J.B. in a runaway.
- Steve - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 3:12 pm:
How is Pritzker any less of a reformer than Pawar?
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 3:17 pm:
Why?
Why would a guy with everything want to be a governor?
Its like hearing that Michael Jordan wants to be a gym teacher.
- Kirsten in CU - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 3:22 pm:
You guys are so jaded. From the day Pawar entered the race, most of what I’ve seen around here is comments to the effect that he has no chance because he doesn’t have the deep pockets of Pritzker or Kennedy, and that’s what it will take to beat Rauner. How can you blame him for using that distinction to his advantage in the primary? He’s not badmouthing Pritzker here, unless you consider “another billionaire” to be something other than a statement of fact, and I see no contradiction between these two statements.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 3:27 pm:
==How is Pritzker any less of a reformer than Pawar?==
Well, let’s see Pritzker flesh out his platform before we make that call.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 3:29 pm:
- Kirsten in CU -
Pawar lacks in political base, name recognition, money, experience in state governing, and now it seems Pawar is a novice thinking you can release a statement and an email that are opposite of each other and no one will notice.
Pawar isn’t ready to be the governor of the 5th largest state in America. Pawar is no different in credentials than Evelyn Sanguinetti and I wouldn’t want Slip and Sue as a governor with her experience.
- Annonin' - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 3:45 pm:
here is what DopeyDuct put out …..good approach to helping the Lifeline Funding Plan ..
We’ll be frank – no one on Team Rauner is surprised by the news today.
J.B. Pritzker announced his bid for Governor and now joins a list of Democrats who want to be governor so they can raise your taxes while enacting no changes to control spending, reform government or grow jobs.
In fact, Pritzker has already said he wants to take the income tax to over 5 percent. Higher than it was under Pat Quinn!
We know they will all try to tell a different story. So, we’ve set up a fund to directly combat the anticipated attacks from J.B. Pritzker, Chris Kennedy, and any other candidate as they try to detract from their own questionable plans.
Your contribution today will help us keep Illinois voters informed of the truth.
Here on Team Rauner, we’re working to bring back Illinois and put our state’s families first. And now matter how hard the political machine tries to stop us, we won’t give up.
Contribute today to help us keep up.
We’re glad to have you with us,
Team Rauner
- Earnest - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 3:57 pm:
>How can you blame him for using that distinction to his advantage in the primary?
Didn’t mean that he shouldn’t use it as much as possible to his advantage, but I am very anxious to see any Democrats show the ability to do some strong messaging. I’d rather see more for the paragraphs in his e-mail than just the billionaire thing.
- Texas Red - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 4:17 pm:
Ameya Pawar along with Pritzker and Kennedy in the race guarantees the Dem’s will be have a nice long and expensive primary. You will have the two rich candidates going after each other while Pawar tries to distinguish himself from the fat cats. Rauner must be pleased.
- nickname - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 4:24 pm:
Wow. That statement reads weakly and akwardly, it’s like he didn’t know what to say.
- illini - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 4:30 pm:
Meaning absolutely no disrespect, but how will he possibly be able to poll, run or much less compete in a Primary or General Downstate ?
And I could say this about a few others in this race as well.
- P. - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 4:37 pm:
The “welcome to the race” is unnecessary. The about face email is tacky and unnecessary.
- City Zen - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 5:01 pm:
==J.B. Pritzker…People are hungry==
I see what you did there, Mr Pawar.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 5:36 pm:
==Rauner must be pleased.==
Meh. Primaries are good. The candidates will hone their messages and meet more voters, spend more time organizing, and the party will work out its consensus.
Maybe Rauner’s pleased, but he shouldn’t be. Best news for him would be one of the novices cruising to the nomination.
- Amalia - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 6:51 pm:
WEV United Working Families. Learn from the last Presidential. Bernie and Co. spent more months attacking Hillary in ridiculous ways than they should have considering how far away he was from winning. it went right up to the convention, and….Susan Sarandon…beyond. (and the platform, and campaign by Hillary was the most progressive of the Dems EVER) result of the Bernie noise, 21% of Bernie voters….by the Bernie crowd estimation….voted for Trump. then there are the voters in Wiscy and Mich who voted for Jill Stein and if they had voted for Hillary, she would have had those two states. Be careful how you campaign in a primary. the goal is to get rid of Rauner. Would you rather not have had FDR as President?
- Shytown - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 7:37 pm:
The Ameya message is meh…and UWF? They’ll need a better pitch than that if they want to raise $.
- illini - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 7:39 pm:
@Amalia - I understand your conundrum, but I “Felt the Bern”.
I doubt your contention that the Bernie voters and activists voted for Trump or Jill Stein, but who knows!
No doubt about the 70,000 votes in three states that could have turned the election.
Yet the votes that matter in both the Primary and General will come from all of the entire State - even from those of us who are living South of I-80.
- Amalia - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 10:21 pm:
@ Illini, it’s not my contention. it’s from Bernie people and the figure has been stated multiple times on line. there’s a downstate Berner who has posted with his name re this.
You felt the Bern. the rest of us felt the burn. and the U.S. is paying for it.
- OW Fact Chect - Thursday, Apr 6, 17 @ 11:16 pm:
OW, give us one reason to believe Anything you post. The bias is comical and your mascarade as someone who is knowledgeable of the process is a wish on your behalf. Let’s talk without your curtain of secrecy.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 6:58 am:
===Let’s talk without your curtain of secrecy.===
Go after what I say, you seek to think it’s easy enough.
You also say I’m weak and “stuff”, my arguments should fall upon themselves, you should be happy.
- Anonymous - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 8:15 am:
I’m hearing Dems like Biss, but that it may take a billionaire to defeat Rauner.
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 8:18 am:
A candidate’s wealth doesn’t matter to me. Gov. Dayton, a billionaire, seems to have done a great job in Minnesota, judging by the budget surplus and the state’s fiscal and economic health.
In fact, someone’s wealth may be key in this situation, going against Rauner and his many millions. Also, if the billionaire candidate supports policies on the left and center, what does it matter what is his or her wealth? You got a billionaire who wants to govern on a philosophy of making people like himself or herself shoulder a bigger fiscal burden? Someone who wants to make sure there is adequate funding for higher ed, social services and who wants to pay vendors and pay down debt? Great! I’m down with that.
- lake county democrat - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 8:59 am:
I’m eager to hear how Kennedy and Pritzker differentiate themselves.
- Kirsten in CU - Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 1:12 pm:
- Earnest - understood, but if this email was sent to supporters, presumably they have already heard his overall message in the three months that he has been campaigning. I saw this email more as a fundraising appeal to people who are already on board, rather than an introduction to the candidate.