* Sabato’s Crystal Ball…

Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) is ready to spend millions to win reelection, but he might have a wealthy opponent in the general in either venture capitalist J.B. Pritzker (D) — who just injected $7 million into his nascent campaign — or businessman Chris Kennedy (D), a scion of Robert Kennedy. Pritzker and Kennedy seem to be the Democratic favorites, but there could be a very crowded field. Rauner has a weak approval rating, so he will be vulnerable in Democratic-leaning Illinois. Toss-up

* Asked on Twitter why Illinois wasn’t “lean Democratic,” one of the author’s responded…



Rauner is going to have a hard time but I think it's a little early/premature to call a sitting governor a clear underdog https://t.co/8J48I9shTb — Kyle Kondik (@kkondik) April 20, 2017

I tend toward agreement. Nobody knows yet who will win the Democratic primary. Plus, the Republicans have the Madigan issue here.

* As the governor said yesterday during a GOP fundraiser, do we want a strong future for our children…

“Or are we gonna stay under the thumb of a group of corrupt, career politicians who’ve been dragging our state down the drain for decades? Corruption, cronyism, patronage, deficit spending, higher taxes, job losses, poorly funded schools. Are we gonna stay on this track we’ve been on for years? […] “There’s only one thing holding us back and that’s corrupt Democrats down in Springfield controlling our government for their own benefit.”

The man is not going to be easy to defeat.

…Adding… But…