* Gov. Rauner said this during last week’s debate about the deaths at the Quincy veterans’ home…

“It’s heartbreaking and I’ve cried about it,” said Rauner.

* And then…

After the debate, Rauner told reporters he’s cried over the deaths at the Illinois Veterans Home and he does not believe he’s trailing by 20 points as a recent poll suggests.

While not wanting to make light of the people who lost their lives at Quincy, I have heard the governor talk about weeping several times, so I took a quick look at the history and asked around for some help.

* The earliest instance I could find on Google is from 2010, long before Rauner ran for governor…

“Waiting for Superman” — a documentary billed as the “Inconvenient Truth” of public education — will debut in New York and Los Angeles. But a select group of Chicagoans has already seen the film by Davis Guggenheim, who also directed “An Inconvenient Truth.” […]

“I’ve seen it twice, and I’ve cried both times,” Bruce Rauner said. “I think it’s very powerful.”

* April, 2015…

One of the most emotional times here in Springfield, two teachers came up to me at an event after I became governor. One of them started to cry. I gave her a hug and I said, ‘What’s wrong?’ and she said, ‘You are healing a wound in this community that you don’t fully appreciate.’ I said, ‘Really? Well, God bless you.’ We hugged and I was tearing up. I said, ‘Don’t make me cry. I’ve got to go give a talk here.’

* December, 2015, after watching the Laquan McDonald video…

“I watched the video when it came out last week. I cried,” Rauner said. “That video is shocking, terrifying. I cried for the young man who was brutally shot. I cried for the thousands of police officers who are honest and hardworking, who put themselves in harm’s way to serve and protect us and whose reputation gets damaged by the behavior of a few bad people. I cried for the violence that is tearing apart so many of our communities.”

* February 26, 2016 on Dan Proft’s radio show…

I took my Swedish grandfather back for his 90th birthday. I had never been to Sweden. He had been writing to his relatives his whole life from Wisconsin and he’d never been, or at least not since he was like two years old and I took him over and we spent a week. I cried every day.

* June 7, 2016…

And the governor defended his highly controversial description of some CPS schools as “crumbling prisons.”

“In too many of them, I cry. Tears come into my eyes.”

* August 19, 2016…

They came to my office in the Capitol a number of months back and we sat, a large group of youth and myself and Director Sheldon. And we just had a talk about their lives, what’s going on, what their issues are. And it was one of the most emotional but uplifting and inspirational discussions I’ve ever had in my life. Many of us cried.

* March 16, 2017…

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner visited two area communities left devastated from Tuesday night’s storms. […]

“It’s really hard. I mean I cried yesterday. I was crying this morning. It’s very emotional,” said Rauner.

* April 6, 2017…

I travel the state, seven days a week, and everywhere I go, people come up to me and say, ‘Governor, stay strong. You’re on the right track. Don’t give in, stay persistent.’ One woman came up to me with tears in her eyes, and I started to cry, too. She said, ‘You’re our last hope. Don’t give up.’ I said, ‘I’m not gonna give up. I’m the most persistent son of a gun on the planet. I’m very competitive.’

* June 15, 2018…

One of the most special times for me every year is going to Honor Flights to welcome our heroes home here in Springfield, and in Peoria, and in Chicago. I have to tell you, it brings tears of joy to my eyes when our heroes come through that airport door to be reunited with their children and their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren.

* September 18, 2018 at Crain’s Chicago Business…

Most emotional moment was last year, an elderly woman saw me shopping in Schnucks, the grocery store. She came up to me, grabbed me by both hands, looked up at me and she started to cry. I said, ‘What’s wrong?’ She said, ‘Governor, you’re our last hope. Please don’t give up.’ I kind of lost it. I started crying, I gave her a hug and I say, ‘I will never give up, I can’t. I’m doing this, this is a labor of love.’

…Adding… A sharp commenter reminded me of this during the October 9, 2018 Sun-Times editorial board meeting...

Back before being governor, I would love the classics, like for example I would always like to see “The Dick Van Dyke Show” or some other classic, family shows the 60s. I love that stuff, it’s kinda teary-eyed to me, and it’s a great way to relax.