Rauner Trips All Over Himself on Campaign Tour (Or Whatever It Was)

Ignoring Budget Crisis, Rauner Spends Tour Denying He’s on Tour

On Tuesday, Governor Bruce Rauner kicked off a two-day tour of Illinois. Despite the trip having all the trappings of a campaign tour – events paid for by his campaign fund, corresponding fundraising emails from his campaign – Rauner claimed it wasn’t a campaign tour.

Even with the fiscal mess waiting for him back in Springfield, Rauner is in full campaign mode.

“If it looks like a campaign, walks like a campaign, and quacks like a campaign, it’s probably a campaign,” said DGA Communications Director Jared Leopold. “Bruce Rauner can call this stunt whatever he wants, but he can’t hide from the fact that he’s failed the voters of Illinois. The governor should stop playing political games and get down to the business of passing a budget.”

Others seemed confused by the distinction too:

Sun-Times: Rauner launches campaign-funded tour he says isn’t campaign tour

Chicago Tribune: Rauner insists campaign-funded statewide tour not about re-election bid

Chicagoist: Rauner Launches 2-Day State Tour Totally Unrelated To Re-Election Campaign

WCIA: Governor Rauner makes campaign-style stops

NBC Chicago: Rauner Embarks on Tour of Illinois – But Won’t Call It a Re-Election Campaign

AP: Rauner: State trip isn’t campaigning

Lee News: Rauner makes political — but not campaign — stops across state

While Rauner was busy pushing his partisan agenda, Northeastern Illinois University was forced to cancel classes because of the record-setting budget impasse. Students and teachers organized protests calling on Rauner to pass a budget.

WLS: “NEIU operations will be shut down at all five Chicago-area locations on those three days. A similar closure took place over the university’s spring break. And Tuesday, both teachers and students laid the blame squarely at Governor Bruce Rauner’s feet.

Voters don’t seem convinced by Rauner’s efforts either. A Morning Consult poll released the same day as the start of the tour showed Rauner ranks in the top-ten least popular governors in the country.

 ###