Both Illinois Candidates for Governor Avoid the State’s Most Pressing Issue
Admittedly, the budget isn't likely to rile up partisans for a primary election like attacks on President
Setting a budget will be one of the first tasks for the governor who gets sworn in next January, and given the size of
If anyone doubts that
A two-year budget standoff hobbled Rauner's administration until last summer. The governor took office in 2015 just days after a temporary income tax expired, but Rauner, a former venture capitalist, opposed another increase to make up the lost revenue. Instead, he said that a tax increase should be paired with several policy changes he championed. Many of those sought to weaken labor unions, which was a nonstarter for the
The budget defeat set off a tumultuous summer for the governor.
He purged his staff twice, leaving a governor who had never before held elected office without a lot of political expertise at his side. Then he signed an abortion rights law that, among other things, provided for public funding of abortions. Social conservatives in the legislature abandoned him, just months after moderates voted to override his veto on the budget. Major campaign contributors left him too. One of Rauner's most outspoken critics was state Rep.
"To those of you around the state of
Lowering taxes is one of Rauner's top campaign themes. "We can't tax our way out of our problems," he often says on the stump.
But after four years, the governor has yet to propose a budget that would make that feasible.
His latest budget proposal, which he announced last month, calls for a reduction of 0.25 percentage points in residents' income taxes. He described it as the first step in a multiyear process to bring tax rates down. But the pension changes he wants to make to pay for that initial cut would almost certainly lead to legal challenges and, in any event, would take years to materialize.
The governor also relentlessly criticizes
In an interview with Governing two weeks ago, Rauner called Madigan "the tip of the spear of the corruption" in
"He manages the
Rauner returned to that familiar theme during his Election Night speech, as he tried to link Pritzker to the unpopular speaker.
"Pritzker is
On taxes, Pritzker has called for
Making the change won't be easy because it requires amending the state constitution. Lawmakers would have to pass it and then send it along to voters for approval.
"Let's institute a progressive income tax so we can lower the burden on the middle class and those striving to get there," he said Tuesday.
Pritzker, an heir to the
"It's time for
Pritzker himself has left the door open to bringing in more money through the income tax -- but only if the plan doesn't raise rates on "middle-class families."
Likewise, Pritzker Tuesday called for
Throughout the campaign, Pritzker, like most
As Pritzker moved to the general election, though, he told supporters, "This campaign is not just about the failed policies of a failed governor who thinks that lifting up the people of
Instead, Pritzker said, he wanted to focus on issues such as increasing school funding especially for poorer communities, creating a universal health care system with a public option for buying insurance and ending government policies -- like impounding people's cars for unpaid parking tickets -- that disproportionately hurt the poor.
But all of those would likely require
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