Governor race focuses on labor, unemployment

ROSEMONT, Ill. (WLS) -- Governor Pat Quinn received a boost from organized labor Wednesday as he attended the convention of the AFL-CIO in suburban Rosemont.

This comes as his Republican opponent Bruce Rauner releases a new barrage of television commercials.

On the first day of the campaign's last full month, the governor prepped for a presidential visit, Bruce Rauner added television commercials and both candidates battled for union votes.

Despite their recent differences over public employee pensions, Governor Pat Quinn and the Illinois AFL-CIO are back on the same page, united in the effort to defeat Republican Bruce Rauner, the wealthy venture capitalist who wants Quinn's job.

"He's the person who's the most anti-worker candidate ever put up by any party in our state," said Quinn.

Rauner responded, saying, "Don't believe this baloney you've been hearing about me."

As if it anticipating the governor's speech, Rauner's campaign posted a YouTube video in which he reminded union members that Quinn signed the general assembly's pension reform bill that modified public employee retirement benefits:

"I opposed that at the time. I think that was unconstitutional," said Rauner.

And Rauner released a barrage of three broadcast television ads, all of them negative.

One ad said Illinois has "one of the worst unemployment rates in America."

"Unemployment is down," Quinn responded. "The steepest decline in 30 years in Illinois. The lowest unemployment we've had in six years."

Quinn and his Democratic supporters are waiting anxiously for President Barack Obama's arrival tonight for a Thursday morning fundraiser for the governor and party candidates.

"The President is going to be tremendously helpful," said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, "not only to Governor Quinn but to Senator Durbin and the Democratic ticket."

In a statement, a Rauner campaign spokesman wrote: "We welcome the president home. Voters know this election will come down to a choice between more of the same with Pat Quinn or the hope of bringing back Illinois under Bruce Rauner."

The state's Republican congressional delegation, including Senator Mark Kirk, wrote to the president asking for a federal investigation into Quinn's 2010 anti-violence Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. The governor, who ended that program two years ago, says he is not concerned that scheduled hearings next week about the NRI will affect his campaign.