Family Clout

The son of RFK and nephew of JFK has political ambition in his DNA and the cachet of a family dynasty. But he’ll need more than an aging Camelot appeal to dazzle these voters. As Chicago royalty, he has a surname immortalized in half the institutions in town and a sister, Penny, with some hefty political chops from her stint as Obama’s secretary of commerce.

Spending Potential

The family fortune is estimated at $1 billion across some 30 relatives, according to Forbes. It’s unclear how big a piece belongs to Chris, but he’s said he’ll “have the resources to compete.” At No. 190 on the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans, with an estimated net worth of $3.4 billion, he could match whatever Kennedy pulls from his personal coffers and raise him—by a lot.

Relatability

OK, everyone’s prone to the occasional gaffe. But spurning a bunch of reporters? (See: the elevator incident at the DNC.) Maaaaybe not the best way to endear yourself. He’s got a hint of Everyman likability. The Sun-Times called him “a familiar face at his daughter’s cross-country meets.” Go, Dad. That transgender bathroom tweet, though? Clumsy misfire.

Rauner Run-Ins

To defend himself against a Rauner-led offensive that referred to Kennedy as a “pawn” and “lap dog” of Mike Madigan, he skewered the gov for pointing fingers instead of compromising. The GOP’s Blago-themed robocalls were an assault on Pritzker’s character, but his camp lampooned the preemptive smear with a dig at Rauner’s, uh, to-do list. (About that budget …)

Vision for Illinois

Revive the American dream through compromise to create jobs and restore the economy—you know, make Illinois great again. Judging by his résumé: Create a tech-savvy state that can play with the big kids in the digital sector and attract innovative ventures.