* From the union-backed Illinois Freedom PAC…

*** UPDATE *** I’m told that the buy is about a million dollars over three weeks. It’s tough to get a handle on the number of ratings points though since an independent expenditure like this doesn’t get a candidate discount. Either way, it’s a fairly strong buy, so it’s on.

* Script…

Should billionaires like Bruce Rauner get to play by a different set of rules?

In 2012, Rauner made 53 million dollars, but paid a lower tax rate than many of us.

And Rauner used a loophole to pay zero, nothing into Social Security and Medicare for two straight years.

Now Rauner says he’s open to taxing our Social Security and retirement income…making it harder for Illinois families to get by.

Bruce Rauner pays less but wants us to pay more?

* Rauner has already responded via a fundraising e-mail…

Today Pat Quinn and Mike Madigan’s special interest allies launched a new round of negative ads against us.

I’m not surprised the machine is fighting back. Are you?

These folks will say anything to protect Pat Quinn and his broken promises. They want you to forget Quinn’s promises to create jobs (we lead the Midwest in job losses), avoid raising taxes on the middle class (Quinn now supports a permanent 67% tax hike on all Illinoisans), invest in our schools (Quinn cut education spending $500 million), pass term limits (opposes our term limits proposal), and clean up state government after Blago (Quinn’s administration is now under federal investigation).

Will you help me fight back TODAY with an urgent contribution of $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50, or $25?

Pat Quinn announced yesterday he has $12 million sitting in his campaign account - fueled by the Democrat Governors Association and his special interest allies.

Now today, the same group that spent millions unsuccessfully trying to defeat us in the primary is up with a new attack ad.

Make no mistake: Quinn-Madigan are playing for keeps. They will pull out all the stops because they know we will end the machine that has run Illinois into the ground.

Can you contribute now? Any amount helps, $100, $50, $25, $10, even $5. Every penny will be used to counterattack this latest offensive.

Illinois is run by lobbyists, for special interests, and the career politicians in charge let it happen. We can end all that – can you help take on the machine today with a contribution?

Thank you for all you’re doing. I’ll keep fighting to shake up the system – please fight with me.

Bruce Rauner