* Gov. Bruce Rauner told Statehouse reporters today that he and the legislative leaders are “feverishly endeavoring” to come up with a viable pension reform solution. He also said they might pursue “several options simultaneously” and send them all to the courts. He laughed off a question about the Illinois Policy Institute’s idea to fire all state workers and put them in a new pension plan. Rauner said he will “negotiate in good faith” with the unions.
He also spoke a bit about “right to work,” blaming “special interest groups” for opposing his changes. He encouraged Republican lawmakers to “stay unified” with his program.
* “We have taken a number of things off the table,” Rauner said about his “Turnaround Agenda,” but wouldn’t say what those things were. He also dodged a question about a potential income tax hike.
And despite all the secret “working group” meetings, Rauner claimed he was being totally transparent, and essentially blamed the secrecy on the General Assembly, which is, sorry to say, a total crock.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk is touting his recovery from a debilitating stroke in the first television ads of his 2016 re-election bid.
The Illinois Republican launched the ads Thursday in Chicago and the Champaign area.
The early ad buy — which his campaign says cost more than $320,000 — is a sign of how competitive the race is expected to be.
* The press release…
“Courage”, the first television ad of the 2016 U.S. Senate election in Illinois chronicles Senator Mark Kirk’s unending determination to fight for Illinois families in the Senate. The over $320,000 advertisement flight starts airing today on broadcast and cable networks in the Chicago and Champaign media markets.
“Because we all have our own steps to climb, Kirk in spite of his stroke, is driven to fight for Illinois families in the Unites States Senate. Senator Kirk’s independent voice in the midst of partisan gridlock is a source of pride for Illinois. Senator Kirk has climbed the steps of the Capitol for fellow stroke survivors, veterans and everyone in Illinois working to overcome a challenge in their own life. He goes to work for them,” said Kevin Artl, campaign manager for Kirk for Senate.
· In 2010, Senator Kirk won President Obama’s Illinois Senate Seat defeating former Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias in one of the closest elections in the nation.
· Despite suffering a major stroke in 2012, Senator Kirk returned to work just a year later and capped off his inspiring recovery by climbing the U.S. Capitol steps surrounded by a collection of bipartisan Congressional leaders.
· In 2015, Senator Kirk, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, created the group ‘Kirk’s Battle Buddies’, to offer encouragement, support, and counseling to fellow stroke survivors and veterans. ‘Kirk’s Battle Buddies’ participated in stair climbs at the John Hancock Center and Presidential Towers with more climbs scheduled this year.
Described in press accounts and by political pundits as a “moderate” and “independent”, Senator Kirk’s record has matched the description as he has often voted against party lines to support measures important to Illinois voters, including his work to protect the Great Lakes from pollution and contaminants, his support for marriage equality as a means to end discrimination and his votes for rigid background checks for gun purchases to prevent gang members from gaining access to firearms.
During previous elections when Kirk ran in a presidential year, Kirk has outperformed the Republican presidential candidate by an average of 12 points, demonstrating strong crossover appeal to independent voters and reform-minded democrats.
