Governor candidates make final push for votes ahead of primary

ByCraig Wall WLS logo
Friday, March 16, 2018
Governor candidates make final push for votes ahead of primary
The candidates for Illinois governor are fanning out across the city and state as they try to shore up support or win over undecided voters heading into the primary.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The candidates for Illinois governor are fanning out across the city and state as they try to shore up support or win over undecided voters heading into the final weekend before the primary.

That also means a new round of attack ads as the race keeps heating up.

Time is running out for the candidates and this is now the phase of the campaign where sleep is replaced by naps, and they pull out all the stops, launching new attack ads and making countless campaign stops trying to win every last voter possible.

Chris Kennedy shook hands at the 95th Street Red Line station, and is bringing in reinforcements this weekend.

"So, I've relatives coming in from all across the United States to Chicago and they'll fan out across the state of Illinois. A lot of them have been here through summer and fall, so they're reacquainting the friendships they've made earlier in the campaign," Kennedy said.

JB Pritzker was campaigning downstate for the second day in a row after a critical report on his offshore holdings put his finances and taxes in the spotlight. His campaign said he was not dodging the media, because the schedule had been set a while ago.

Daniel Biss, standing by the Trump Tower, continued to attack Pritzker for being like the president and not being transparent with his taxes.

"The fact that he won't release his full tax returns means he's still hiding lots more, God only knows what that is. Chris Kennedy has released even less, God only knows what he is hiding," Biss said.

Friday the conservative National Review, which previously labeled Bruce Rauner the worst Republican governor in America, endorsed his opponent, saying as people head to the polls "they should vote for Jeanne Ives...over the thoroughly disappointing incumbent governor Bruce Rauner, who has forfeited any claim on his party's nod."

Rauner's campaign responded by saying he's the only one who can win in November and they launched an attack ad calling Ives "too conservative for Illinois."

Rauner also accused the Democratic Governors Association of meddling in the Republican primary. Rauner himself was accused of meddling in the Democratic primary with his attack ads on JB Pritzker using the Blagojevich wiretaps.

The candidates will be spending a lot money down the home stretch. Ives has received more than $300,000 in donations this week, Biss more than $100,000. Kennedy gave himself another $500,000 this week.