VIDEO FLASHBACK: Rauner Press Conference Announcing School Funding Formula (SB1) Veto

Rauner Continues Ad Campaign Bragging About Bill He Opposed

Today, Governor Bruce Rauner’s desperate reelection campaign released a new ad that continues to deceive the public over the passage of the state’s education funding formula. Rauner’s first advertisement omitted a crucial fact – Rauner vetoed the state’s education funding bill. Unfortunately for him, there’s video. On August 1st, 2017, Governor Bruce Rauner issued an amendatory veto on a bill he decried as a “bailout.”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE

“Bruce Rauner is shamelessly trying to rewrite history and take credit for a measure he opposed,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Facts are facts – Bruce Rauner vetoed the state’s education bill and pushed the state into a school funding crisis. Now, he’ll spend millions of dollars trying to deceive the public about his true record. Illinois voters will not forget how Rauner put their schools at risk for his political gain. Rauner failed to look after Illinois’ families.”

Rauner’s campaign did make one change. The new ad no longer says the bill’s passage was “nothing short of a miracle.” Rauner had misquoted an NPR story by attributing a quote about Democratic State Senator Andy Manar to himself. He is still, however, employing a slogan used by Democratic Congresswoman Cheri Bustos for years.

Below is a roundup of the reactions from Rauner’s first ad:

NPR: “The Campaign Spot is Somewhat Misleading.” According to NPR, “A television commercial now airing for Gov. Bruce Rauner touts the school funding reform legislation he signed into law in August. But the campaign spot is somewhat misleading. The ad begins: ‘It’s been called nothing short of a miracle.’” [NPR, 10/5/17]

NPR: Rauner Ad Used Quote That Wasn’t About Rauner, But Reference to Years-Long Effort by Democratic State Senator. According to NPR, “If you pause the tape and look closely, you’ll see that line is credited to a story published online Sept. 7 by NPR Illinois. But that quote, from a longtime education advocate, wasn’t about Rauner. It was in reference to the years-long efforts of State Sen. Andy Manar, the downstate Democrat who sponsored the school funding reform bill.” [NPR, 10/5/17]

• NPR: “Rauner Tried to Kill Manar’s Measure with an Amendatory Veto, But No One Voted for Rauner’s Plan.” According to NPR, “Rauner tried to kill Manar’s measure with an amendatory veto, but no one voted for Rauner’s plan. The governor ultimately signed a compromise bill, also sponsored by Manar, that included a tax break for private school scholarship donors.” [NPR, 10/5/17]

Chicago Tribune: “The Ad, However, Doesn’t Note that Rauner Rewrote an Earlier Version of the Bill After Spending Months Criticizing It as a ‘Bailout’ for Chicago Public Schools.” According to the Chicago Tribune, “The ad, however, doesn’t note that Rauner rewrote an earlier version of the bill after spending months criticizing it as a ‘bailout’ for Chicago Public Schools. In the end, the compromise he signed gave CPS even more money than the version he amendatorily vetoed.” [Chicago Tribune, 10/5/17]

• Chicago Tribune: “In the End, the Compromise He Signed Gave CPS Even More Money than the Version He Amendatorily Vetoed.” According to the Chicago Tribune, “The ad, however, doesn’t note that Rauner rewrote an earlier version of the bill after spending months criticizing it as a ‘bailout’ for Chicago Public Schools. In the end, the compromise he signed gave CPS even more money than the version he amendatorily vetoed.” [Chicago Tribune, 10/5/17]

Quad-City Times: The Bill that Rauner Eventually Signed “Closely Resembled the Original Version” on which Rauner Had Used an Amendatory Veto. According to the Quad-City Times, “The governor issued an amendatory veto of the legislation, but the bill that eventually came back and was signed into law closely resembled the original version.” [Quad-City Times, 10/5/17]