* John Kass…

“It’s going to be ugly, and by Labor Day people won’t even want to turn on their TVs because of all the ads,” said a senior Illinois Democrat, who thinks Pat Quinn has only one route to re-election. “He’s got to turn it into a class war. What else does he have to talk about?”

* That effort began in earnest last night when Quinn launched his first TV ad blasting Rauner on the minimum wage. And it has continued all morning…

Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin for a traditional post-election breakfast at the Billy Goat tavern Wednesday — with the mayor telling voters they now have a clear choice for the general election.

“The public in Illinois is going to have a choice between an agenda that looks out and works on behalf of middle class families who are trying to make it from paycheck to paycheck … and those who are trying to pull the rug from beneath the middle class,” Emanuel said, standing beside Durbin and Quinn.

The governor wasted no time blasting his Republican opponent, calling him a billionaire with nine homes who has a lot of explaining to do to voters — particularly when it comes to his position on Illinois’ minimum wage.

“People want to see the real Bruce Rauner,” Quinn said.

The governor also said Rauner’s closer-than-expected race in the primary means “money isn’t all there is to politics.”

* Gov. Quinn later spoke to reporters about Rauner and the minimum wage…

* My inbox is jammed with attacks on Rauner today. Here’s the summary of a YouTube video put up by the American Bridge 21st Century PAC…

Republican Bruce Rauner - owner of nine homes, earner of $53 million last year, and self proclaimed member of the “.01%” wealthiest Americans - eeked out a meager victory tonight to become the GOP nominee for Illinois governor. With his staunch opposition to raising the minimum wage, out-of-touch billionaire Rauner is the latest face in the “rebranded” Republican Party, which continues to appear anti-middle class, anti-woman, anti-immigrant, and anti-gay.

The video…

* From the Illinois AFL-CIO…

Statement by Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan on Tuesday’s election results

“The labor movement worked hard to make sure voters knew what billionaire candidate Bruce Rauner is all about. He is the guy that championed cutting the minimum wage and pensions while demonizing teachers, nurses, correctional officers and other employees that serve the public. His kind of divisive leadership is not welcome in Illinois.

“We know that competing against his stacks of money will be difficult, but we continue today what we started months ago - making sure the working families of Illinois understand the Rauner in his TV commercials is fiction. The facts show a mega-wealthy CEO who thinks he can buy an office and trample on workers, yet has no idea - or any ideas - on how to lead.”

* Illinois Freedom PAC…

Bruce Rauner spent millions of his own personal fortune, and despite leading by double-digits in every single public poll, he barely eked out a win to become the Republican nominee for Governor. Needless to say, it was not the victory Rauner thought he had paid for.

“Bruce Rauner dramatically underachieved in yesterday¹s primary because a majority of Illinois Republicans had trouble trusting a political insider whose companies made billions at the expense of regular folks,” says Michael Murray, spokesman for Illinois Freedom. “Now Bruce Rauner will take his out-of-touch agenda to a much bigger audience. While Rauner may be proud that he¹s a billionaire in the top .01%, his plans to cut the minimum wage and slash funding for our schools simply won¹t fly with families in our state. The last thing Illinois needs is a Governor who looks out for the wealthiest among us, while turning his back on the middle-class, and we plan to hold Rauner accountable every step of the way.”

* The DGA…

Last night, the majority of the most hardcore Illinois Republicans rejected billionaire Bruce Rauner. Even with public polling that showed Rauner would win by double digits, actual primary voters decided that his anti-middle class record is not what Illinois needs.

Despite the pre-election punditry, these results shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. The past few months have shined a bright light on the real Rauner: a typical, uber-rich GOP politician who wants to slash the minimum wage, gut education and public safety, and cut taxes for the wealthiest so those at the very top can benefit.

That stands in stark contrast to Governor Pat Quinn.

When Governor Quinn took office, Illinois was in trouble – two governors in jail, high unemployment, and the worst recession since the Great Depression. Now, he’s righting the ship with a steadfast focus on creating more good-paying, middle-class jobs.

There’s a clear difference in the race ahead – hurting working people in the name of profit for himself and his wealthy pals has been what’s defined Bruce Rauner’s entire corporate career.

In the primary campaign, voters began to learn about Billionaire Bruce’s Romney-esque career in the private sector, which included a “corporate fraud” that resulted in the deaths of nursing home patients and shady financial ties to an imprisoned Blagojevich associate:

* SEIU Healthcare…

“The contrast between the competing visions for Illinois’ future between right-wing billionaires like Bruce Rauner and low-wage homecare workers, nursing home attendants, hospital workers, and child care providers has never been starker.

“Bruce Rauner brags about being in the top 1 percent of the 1 percent of Americans, owns nine luxury homes which are worth millions of dollars each, and made $53 million last year alone – yet Rauner wants to cut the minimum wage from $8.25 back to $7.25 an hour for hard-working Illinoisans who are struggling just to survive.”

* The IFT…

Tonight’s results also demonstrated that Illinois is a much different state than some would like to paint us.

We are not Wisconsin, we are not Michigan, we are not Indiana, and we are not Ohio.

We are Illinois — a state with challenges, no doubt, but one that values fairness and rejects extremism.

We have shown that we are willing to work with decision makers who, like us, want to truly improve Illinois. We want the same. Heading into November, we have some serious considerations to make, but one thing is certain: we won’t back down against Bruce “.01%” Rauner’s hateful and hypocritical attacks. We will continue to advocate for our future and make sure that voters know he would cut the minimum wage and eliminate our rights.

* The Quinn campaign’s email today…

We’re going to learn a lot more about my opponent, Bruce Rauner, in the coming weeks.

What we know right now is that he’s got a lot of ideas — like cutting the minimum wage and cutting education and public safety investments to dangerous levels. They’re the same anti-middle-class policies that got Illinois and the country into a mess in the first place.

* The DNC, however, is sticking to social issues…

Exactly a year ago, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus spoke at the National Press Club and laid out a plan to “rebrand” the Republican Party, and reach out to constituencies who they rightly failed to appeal to during the 2012 elections. But a year later, all the Republican Party has gotten is a year older. No amount of outreach, staff hires, or changes to their primary calendar will change the fact that the GOP’s policy and rhetoric are just as out of step with the majority of American voters as ever.

In fact, a few examples of this failed Republican Party rebrand can be found right here in Illinois.

Careful with that link because there’s some profanity.

* Other stuff…

* Clash of economic visions to mark race for governor

* Illinois’ race for governor: A populism and proxy war

* Quinn vs. Rauner: Who wins the fight for the little guy?

* Will Pat Quinn’s Luck Run Out Against Bruce Rauner?