Following the public rebuke, Rauner sought a significant change in direction, bringing on several people from the conservative Illinois Policy Institute to work in his administration. But the first-term governor had trouble meshing with his new staff members, who previously had focused on criticizing government from the outside. Rauner had a series of high-profile stumbles under his new leadership team in July and August as he struggled to regain his footing following the tax hike loss.