Turmoil in Rauner’s Realm – LG Sanguinetti Thought About Quitting Rauner’s Reelection

LG Also Criticizes Rauner For Poor Clemency Record, Undercuts Criminal Justice Message 

Things are so bad for Governor Bruce Rauner right now that his Lieutenant Governor publicly acknowledged she contemplated withdrawing from his reelection effort. The Chicago Tribune published a stunning interview with Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti who admitted she needed a few days to decide if she would stick with Rauner after his tumultuous fall:

“‘And him and I talked about it, and he did tell me at the end of the day that he needed me to be there with him. And I told him I needed to pray on it.’ A re-election bid quickly approached. Would she stay on the team or opt out of the 2018 ticket? She says she took a few days to decide. ‘I talked to my family about it. And I decided to stand by the governor because in Illinois we have a lot of things that we need to focus on,’ Sanguinetti said during a recent interview with the Tribune. ‘And so here I am, next to him. But was I upset? Yes. Do I remain upset? Yes.’”

Sanguinetti continued, undercutting Rauner’s record on criminal justice by saying she was “more inclined” to grant clemency requests than Rauner. According to the Chicago Tribune, Rauner has only granted 3 percent of requests compared to 36 under the previous administration.

“The two also have been at odds over clemency requests. Sanguinetti said she’s often more inclined to grant clemency petitions to people who want their record cleared so they can take a job in law enforcement or help turn around struggling youth in their community. ‘Because of my backdrop, I’m the one to say, ‘I want him (to get clemency). I would only listen to somebody like this if I was a youth in trouble because he’s an authentic messenger. He’s not somebody starting out of college telling me how I should behave. He’s been through it, and he’s risen from it,’’ she said. But as Rauner has diligently cleared a massive backlog of clemency petitions in recent years, he’s granted just 3 percent of the requests. Quinn, by contrast, had an approval rate of around 36 percent.” (emphasis added)

And this is Rauner’s closest ally…

“When your own Lieutenant Governor criticizes you, you are not doing a good job,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “The fact that Rauner’s Lieutenant Governor contemplated quitting on him just reinforces how incredibly tumultuous Rauner’s time in office has been. And judging by his Trumpian-level approval ratings, Illinois voters are tired of Rauner’s crises and failures.”