Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Launches “Rauner Failed Me” Campaign Highlighting Stories of Rauner’s Damage Done

Chicago, IL – The day after winning the Democratic nomination for governor, JB Pritzker and State Representative Juliana Stratton held a press conference with Illinoisans failed by Bruce Rauner’s destructive agenda. At the press conference, they highlighted how Rauner has joined Donald Trump in his attacks on immigrant communities, led an all-out assault on workers, and slashed funding for Veterans’ services, child care, and higher education. These stories and more will be highlighted on the campaign’s new website: RaunerFailedMe.com

“Bruce Rauner forced a 736-day budget crisis on Illinois. He decimated social services, jeopardized funding for our schools, and forced people to flee this state,” said JB Pritzker. “This is what failure looks like and when a governor fails, real people get hurt. I’m running for governor to put Springfield back on the side of working families. I’m laying out real plans to lift up our families, create opportunity for all, and bring real change to Illinois.”

“For four years, Bruce Rauner has ignored the needs of the people he represents, leaving our most vulnerable to pay the price,” said State Representative Juliana Stratton. “Under Bruce Rauner, our state has suffered real damage and our families have felt real pain. So many of our communities are not being heard by this governor, but JB and I are listening. We are ready to fight for you and with you for a better Illinois.”

“In 2015, when Bruce Rauner took over, I went to an African American history event at the Governor’s Mansion and I asked him personally if he would support Chicago State University,” said Chris Cook. “He told me he would see what he could do. But he didn’t. I’m with JB because of his lifelong support for education. He doesn’t just talk about it — he puts his time, energy, and resources into the education system. Unlike Bruce Rauner, JB will make sure we’re getting all the opportunities to underserved populations by funding scholarships and getting students what they need to succeed.”

“On July 1st, 2017, along with 20,000 of my fellow workers, I was told I was out of work. Because of Bruce Rauner’s budget crisis, my state roadwork job in Bloomington was shut down,” said Brent Williams. “I’m proud to support JB because he recognizes the importance of our labor movement. He’s pro-worker. He opposes Right to Work and will fight for fair wages.”

“I served my country for six years in the Army as a paratrooper, including three combat tours, and when I came home from my service, I was able to start a career,” said JR Hudson. “Bruce Rauner has dropped the ball on reaching out to help Veterans access the services available to them, while at the same time cutting those services. JB has a real plan and he’s going to bring people together to fix our state’s finances and make our state a place that’s more welcoming and livable for everyone. He stands for all of us coming together, moving forward, and progressing as Illinoisans and I’m proud to support him.”

“We in the immigrant advocacy community had a big, strong network,” said Laura Garcia. “In just a few years, Bruce Rauner hacked through the system and decimated the programs we had worked so hard to build. Donald Trump has done the same. I support JB because he will reverse the damage Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump have done to Illinois.”

“I’m a single mom with two little kids,” said Emily Whelan. “Last year I only made about $25,000, and $7,000 of that went to child care. Between the cost of child care and the uncertainty of the job environment, being a laborer and fighting to make sure my family has what we need really just feels like I’m always fighting against Bruce Rauner. JB cares about what I care about, so when I talk to people about him, it’s really just talking about what working families like mine care about; getting fair wages for working an honest job so we can take care of the people we love.”

PHOTOS FOR MEDIA USE ONLY

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