Today, Daniel Biss announced “The Road Forward” State Tour, a trip of more than 2,000 miles to talk directly with voters about the future of Illinois. Beginning this Friday, August 18th, Daniel will tour our state to highlight the stories of ordinary people hurt by our state’s broken political system — and the chance we have in this election to make Illinois work for the middle class, not the millionaires.
“Illinois is full of potential, but for the middle class it’s harder and harder to realize that these days because of our broken political system. For too long, our government has served the wealthy and well-connected while the rest of us has paid the price. We’ve had enough—that’s why my campaign is about the road forward for the middle class. It’s about the conversations we need to have with our neighbors, and with people all across Illinois, about our state’s future so that it works for the rest of us again,” said Daniel.
News of the tour was also shared by video, released by Biss for Illinois this morning. In the video, Daniel describes the tale of two taxes, highlighting the disparity between his own family’s tax rate and Bruce Rauner’s as an example of how our tax system takes advantage of middle class families instead of asking the wealthy to pay their fair share.
“In Illinois, the very rich have bought a political system that works for them, and not the rest of us,” said Daniel in the video. “That’s why I’m embarking on “The Road Forward,” a ten-day tour of Illinois where we’re going to hear these stories from people across our state—and talk about what we can do to fix the problem. Because if we want to take our state back, we have to start by telling the truth.”
During the tour, Daniel will make stops in Bloomington, Cairo, Champaign, Collinsville, Decatur, Elgin, Galesburg, Joliet, Moline, Peoria, Rockford, and Waukegan, among others.
For more details and to follow along, visit DanielBiss.com/Road-Forward or follow #RoadForwardIL.
Today, the JB Pritzker campaign released a new TV ad, “Illinois Cares.” The ad highlights Donald Trump’s attacks on healthcare, Bruce Rauner’s deafening silence, and JB’s commitment to expanding healthcare in Illinois.
Earlier this month, JB released his healthcare plan: Illinois Cares. This public health insurance option provides every Illinois resident with the opportunity to buy low-cost health insurance. Illinois Cares expands health care in Illinois and lowers premiums at no additional cost to taxpayers.
“Healthcare is a right, not a privilege and I will never be complacent in defending and expanding that right,” said JB Pritzker. “That’s why I proposed Illinois Cares, a plan that would have Illinois lead the nation as the first to allow every resident to buy into a state healthcare plan. For far too long, we’ve seen cowardice and silence from Bruce Rauner as Donald Trump attacks the healthcare of Illinoisans. It’s time for Illinois to boldly lead the way in standing up to Trump and providing the affordable healthcare that all of our families need to thrive.”
Governor Bruce Rauner’s disastrous veto of a school funding bill that would have re-worked a school funding formula currently considered to be the most inequitable in the country also leaves schools with no certainty of funding for the upcoming school year.
Rauner’s veto leaves schools administrators and teachers in the lurch, wondering how long before jobs are threatened. Rauner’s veto leaves Illinois schoolchildren unsure how long their school year might last - and what opportunities they’ll miss out on. Rauner’s veto leaves parents desperately concerned about what will happen if their school shuts down mid-year.
In response, American Bridge launched an online ad campaign that clarifies who really suffers from Governor Rauner’s bullying tactics - Illinois’ children.
American Bridge spokesperson Lizzy Price made the following statement:
“Governor Rauner is the definition of a bully - he’s abused his veto power to intimidate and harm children and entire communities to make a political point. No child should learn from Rauner’s example, because politics should never be more important than a child’s education.”
A former Miss America and unsuccessful congressional candidate on Tuesday is expected to announce a Republican bid for attorney general for the chance to challenge four-term Democrat Lisa Madigan.
“Today in Illinois, it’s nearly impossible to find opportunity and live out your dreams. Instead, career politicians have made it a nightmare for too many families in our state,” Erika Harold says in a two-minute video announcing her candidacy.
“You deserve a state government that works for the people, not the powerful,” says Harold, of Urbana. “Changing the status quo is never easy. And I need your help to do it. Together, let’s defeat the special interests and send the politicians packing.”
The 37-year-old Harold is an attorney at the Meyer Capel law firm in Champaign. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 2001 and received a law degree from Harvard Law School in 2007. A 2003 winner of the Miss America pageant, she used her platform to launch a program to combat bullying in schools.
I haven’t seen any polls, but I’m assuming that the tens of millions of dollars spent on attacking Speaker Madigan has damaged AG Madigan’s reputation with voters. And with tens of millions more dollars spent against the Madigan name, the attorney general is going to have a real race - the first time that’s happened since her first statewide race in 2002.
Since narrowly winning the post in 2002, Lisa Madigan has never received less than 60 percent of the general election vote. On June 30, her campaign fund had $2.3 million on hand, although Harold is expected to receive generous financial support from Gov. Bruce Rauner and his wealthy allies. […]
Harold in 2014 challenged U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, in the Republican primary in the 13th Congressional District. She lost, 55 percent to 41 percent, but won in Champaign County.
She is expected to make her first appearance as a candidate at Wednesday’s Republican Day festivities at the Illinois State Fair.
Harold lives in Urbana and serves on the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Equality, and as a commissioner on the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. She is a member of Trinity International University’s Board of Regents, and serves on the national board of directors of Prison Fellowship, the world’s largest outreach to prisoners and their families, and is an advocate for criminal justice reform.
