Illinois primary preview: Two expensive and nasty primaries for governor conclude on Tuesday
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Illinois voters go to the polls on Tuesday for their party primaries, and we have a lot in store. The main event will be the contest for governor, where Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is trying to fend off a far-right challenge, and where three major DemocratsIllinois primary preview: Two expensive and nasty primaries for governor conclude on Tuesday
Illinois voters go to the polls on Tuesday for their party primaries, and we have a lot in store. The main event will be the contest for governor, where Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is trying to fend off a far-right challenge, and where three major Democrats are competing to face him. There are also a number of competitive House primaries including in the 3rd District, where Blue Dog Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski is facing his first serious challenge in a decade. It only takes a simple plurality to win nomination in Illinois. The polls close at 8 PM ET (7 PM local time). Our guide to the key races to watch Tuesday is below, and join us at Daily Kos Elections that night for our liveblog of all of the races on the docket. You can also follow us on Twitter, where we'll be live-tweeting the results. ● IL-Gov (R): Republican Bruce Rauner unseated unpopular Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn 50-46 in 2014 in this very blue state, but Rauner has had a bumpy tenure of his own. What little polling there is shows that Rauner is very unpopular himself and will face a tough challenge getting re-elected in November, but he has more immediate worries. After Rauner signed a law allowing public funding for abortions earlier this year, several prominent state Republicans angrily withdrew their endorsements, and state Rep. Jeanne Ives announced that she would challenge the governor. Ives quickly made it clear exactly what kind of campaign she would run when she aired a racist and transphobic ad against Rauner in early February. However, the extremely wealthy Rauner has used his considerable resources to go after his opponent by tying her to state House Speaker Mike Madigan, who is the most hated Democrat in GOP politics. Ives has also employed the very same line of attack against Rauner. A few early polls showed Rauner easily defeating Ives, and while she received a $2.5 million infusion from conservative mega donor Richard Uihlein in early February, her cashflow has since largely dried up. However, national Democrats unexpectedly intervened in the final days of the race with TV ads ostensibly attacking Ives as a loyal ally of Trump and the NRA who is “too conservative for Illinois,” which is exactly the kind of messaging that’s designed to make Republicans vote for Ives on Tuesday. An Ives win or even a close loss would be a very big surprise, but Team Blue’s move is a sign that they think it’s possible. Read more