Morning Spin: Pritzker vs. Rauner goes to Quincy, site of veterans’ deaths from Legionnaires’

Oct. 11--Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Subscribe here.

Topspin

The final scheduled televised debate between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic challenger J.B. Pritzker is set for this evening in Quincy, the site of the veterans home where more than a dozen veterans have died from Legionnaires' disease over the last three years.

The only Downstate debate of the campaign is hosted by WGEM-TV in Quincy and will stream live at 7 p.m. on the station's website, www.wgem.com. Two TV stations in Peoria also will carry it, as will WREX in Rockford.

Pritzker announced he'd agreed to Thursday's debate back in May, months after the initial WBEZ-FM reports about deaths at the veterans home. Now, the debate comes about a week after Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced an investigation into the Republican administration's response to the Legionella outbreak.

Rauner has called Madigan's probe a partisan response to a confidential report from Cook County's top watchdog that concluded Pritzker improperly received $330,000 worth of property tax breaks and tax refunds on one of his Gold Coast mansions as part of a "scheme to defraud" taxpayers.

The debate also comes one day after the Tribune published stories about how both have released vague and incomplete information about their wealth and have investments in opaque offshore tax havens -- holdings that are more extensive than previously known. Both have declined to provide their entire federal and state income tax returns so that voters might see where the two politicians' financial interests intersect -- or potentially conflict -- with the business of the state of Illinois.

The last Rauner vs. Pritzker televised fracas was a bitter duel, and the candidates have since accused each other of criminal activity.

Like that time, Thursday's debate will feature only Rauner and Pritzker, not Conservative Party candidate Sam McCann and Libertarian Grayson "Kash" Jackson. (Mike Riopell)

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel will join former U.S. Education Secretary John King to discuss new University of Chicago research.

*Gov. Rauner and Pritzker will debate in Quincy.

*Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees will hold a downtown news conference to pressure Rauner about state worker pay.

*Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm will speak at an awards event by a abortion rights group Personal PAC.

From the notebook

*Dear governor: Most of the state's Democratic delegation in Congress have sent Rauner a letter to ask that he push for state-level laws meant to counteract the new limits on state and local tax deductions.

"We are disappointed that you have failed to oppose this provision of the tax law as it has serious consequences for Illinoisans," the group wrote. Every Illinois Democrat in the House besides U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski signed the letter.

The Republican tax plan is a key issue in the race between GOP U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam and Democratic challenger Sean Casten. Roskam has championed the tax overhaul, but Casten has contended that the limit on deductions will hurt suburban homeowners.

And the Democratic letter to Rauner puts the delegation into the race for governor, like when Republican House lawmakers last week sent a letter to U.S. Attorney John Lausch about Pritzker's property tax breaks. (Mike Riopell)

What we're writing

*Rauner and Pritzker want to keep their offshore money a secret. Here's what we know.

*Where's Pritzker's campaign cash coming from? He's keeping that a secret.

*Rauner's private foundation has millions invested offshore.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner tries to parse his immigration comments, says he does not believe immigrants are 'acting violently.'

*Higher health care costs fuel $700M in new spending under Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's $5.9B budget plan.

*Illinois Obamacare exchange rates to decrease next year for many popular plans.

*Emanuel tells reporters: 'You're getting played' chasing President Trump's tweets.

*In wake of Jason Van Dyke conviction, young activists now seek to oust Chicago aldermen aligned with Emanuel.

*Kushner family selling Chicago office tower.

*University of Illinois at Chicago flourishes amid struggles at state's public universities.

*Regional planning agency says racial inequities holding Chicago back: 'We simply can't afford to keep players on the sidelines.'

What we're reading

*Warner Saunders, host of public affairs shows and TV news anchor, dies at 83.

*Sears reportedly eyeing bankruptcy just after reopening scaled-down Oak Brook store.

*Seeing more spiders in Chicago this fall? You can probably blame mosquitoes.

*Former intern says Brian Bosma tried to intimidate her over alleged sexual encounter.

Follow the money

*The Economic Freedom Alliance, an independent expenditure committee that had been running ads against third-party governor candidate Sam McCann, is now spending $1.4 million on ads backing Gov. Rauner. The alliance has ties to the Illinois Manufacturers Association and had previously spent $1.5 million to oppose McCann, a state senator from Plainview running under the Conservative Party banner.

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.

Beyond Chicago

*Hurricane Michael hits Florida, Georgia.

*Stock market drops sharply.

*Voter registrations spike as deadlines loom.

*Turkish officials accuse Saudi Arabia of not cooperating in probe of missing journalist.

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