Monday, March 26, 2018

Chicago, IL – After building a statewide operation and sharing his vision for Illinois on the campaign trail for nearly a year, JB Pritzker won the Democratic primary with a large margin of downstate voters and now leads a unified Democratic Party ready to beat Bruce Rauner. Here’s what Illinoisans are reading and seeing in the news:

From Fox 32 Chicago:

From WTTW Chicago Tonight:

Belleville News-Democrat: Pritzker hopes to unify Democrats after contentious primary:

J.B. Pritzker, who on Tuesday won the Democratic Party nomination to run for governor, said he’s confident he’ll be able to unify the party following his contentious primary race.

Pritzker received a plurality of the vote on Tuesday, topping five other candidates running for the Democratic nomination. […]

Pritzker said he has spoken since Tuesday with state Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, Chicago businessman Chris Kennedy and Madison County Regional Office of Education Superintendent Bob Daiber, who were among those to seek the party’s nomination. They expressed their support for him winning in November, Pritzker said.

State Journal-Register: Downstate holds key to J.B. Pritzker’s blowout win in primary:

The quick call confirmed what early election night returns had suggested: that Pritzker was on his way to a surprising landslide victory in the Democratic primary, putting to rest a narrative that his opponents were closing in during the final days of the campaign.

The night would not be as joyous for incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner, however. Challenged in the Republican primary by state Rep. Jeanne Ives, a social conservative with little statewide name recognition, Rauner narrowly avoided what would have been one of the biggest upsets in Illinois political history.

The AP confirmed that Rauner would live to fight another day at 10:29 p.m., by which point Pritzker’s victory celebration had long been over.

The results from that night show a knockout punch for Pritzker buoyed by the strength of his support downstate while Rauner struggled in many pockets south of Springfield and in the collar counties.

“I have seen with my own eyes how (Pritzker) values downstate voters,” said state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill. “And I’m a tough critic of (candidates’ commitment to downstate), and of the Democratic Party. We have one state and a voter in downstate Illinois should be just as important in the minds and the strategies of statewide candidates as a voter in Chicago.”

Capitol Fax: Pritzker and the black vote:

 By my count, Pritzker won every African-American ward in Chicago by an average of 60.3 percent. He got 66 percent in three wards, 65 percent in one and 64 in two. His only plurality was in the 5th, where he scored 49 percent to Biss’ 26. He did just as well in African-American suburban townships and received 76 percent in East St. Louis.

Also, I gotta say that his running mate Juliana Stratton gave one of the most intense speeches I have seen in a while Tuesday night. She is a major asset to that ticket and not just with the black community. Click here to watch it. Very, very impressive.

AP: Democrats Giddy About Odds of Retaking Illinois’ Top Job:

Billionaire J.B. Pritzker received almost 575,000 votes on Tuesday, consolidating support from Democratic voters who turned out in midterm numbers not seen in more than a decade to defeat his closest rival by 20 points. Pritzker’s vote total was about 200,000 more than Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner received against a conservative state lawmaker who had huge disadvantages in fundraising and name recognition but still finished within 3 points of him.

Pritzker said the results are an indication of how motivated Democrats are across the U.S. since President Donald Trump was elected, and how unhappy people in Illinois are with Rauner’s leadership.

“I’ve been involved in politics a long time and I’ve never seen Democrats as enthusiastic as they are right now,” Pritzker said. “I think it means in the fall we stand a real good chance of beating Bruce Rauner.”

Chicago Sun-Times: J.B. Pritzker runs away with Democratic nomination for governor:

Backing by Democratic strongholds and unions helped to spread his message. Pritzker thanked U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, as well as Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza in his speech to supporters.

The Pritzker campaign said there was strong enthusiasm amongst the Democratic base particularly with African-American voters, downstate Democrats and women. And they cited a record Democratic turnout — more than 200 percent higher than in 2014 and 30 percent higher than in the last competitive race in 2010.

“Bottom line: the Democratic base came out,” the campaign said.

Crain’s: Pritzker soars, Rauner survives, setting up November battle:

Pritzker captured the Democratic nomination by a surprising margin, getting roughly 46 percent of the vote to 26 percent and 24 percent, respectively, for state Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston and North Shore businessman and social activist Chris Kennedy.

That margin may ease Pritzker’s task in uniting his party…

“I’m J.B. Pritzker, and I’m going to beat Bruce Rauner,” he declared to cheering supporters. “Get some sleep, but not too much, because the general election begins right now.”

Pritzker suggested he would take a populist stance seemingly at odds with his personal wealth, calling for a $15 minimum wage, expanded health insurance, guaranteed union rights and a progressive income tax.

Politico: Is this embattled Republican governor toast?:

It was a high-turnout but relatively low-conflict affair, with Pritzker showing strength up and down the state — he won 98 of 102 counties, a testament to his robust statewide campaign infrastructure.

On Wednesday, Pritzker told POLITICO that both of his top opponents, state Sen. Daniel Biss and Chris Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy’s son, have already told him they’d back him in the general election.

“It’s clear that the Republican Party is completely divided and Democrats with a reasonably common message were able to bring out voters,” Pritzker said.

Pritzker held his first general election news conference Wednesday with banners that read “Rauner Failed” — and he had five people with him on stage to represent those who he said the governor had “failed” since taking office in 2015.

WBEZ: Gentlemen, Start Your Engines:

Democrat J.B. Pritzker won his party’s nomination for governor handily. Strong turnout from Democratic voters offers Pritzker signs of encouragement. […]

The African-American community really came out strong for J.B. Pritzker. He was winning in some wards on the South and West sides of Chicago with two-thirds of the vote over Chris Kennedy and Daniel Biss. That’s a huge number for Pritzker, and he’s got to be encouraged by that.

From Chicago Tribune:

Pritzker did well in Chicago and the suburbs. With nearly 90 percent of the city’s precincts counted, Pritzker had 45 percent of the vote to Biss’ 27 percent and Kennedy’s 24 percent. But Pritzker also was holding at least 40 percent of the vote in the suburbs and racking up 60 percent of the vote or more in several smaller Downstate counties.

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