CHICAGO (AP) – Illinois Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and billionaire Democratic businessman J.B. Pritzker spent millions attacking each other even before their 2018 matchup was set.
It was just a preview of how brutal and astronomically expensive the race for the state’s top job is expected to be. Rauner is considered one of the nation’s most vulnerable GOP incumbents up for re-election this fall, making the typically Democratic-leaning state a top target as the party seeks to regain some of the governor’s offices it lost four years ago.
Pritzker, an investor and heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, easily won his primary. Rauner survived a tougher-than-expected challenge from state Rep. Jeanne Ives, who questioned his conservative credentials.
The fall candidates have combined to spend $120 million of their own money on the campaign.
