News

Rauner Tells GOP Not to Expect Favors if He is Elected


Bruce Rauner says he’s going to stiff Republican county chairmen and others in the party power structure when it comes to patronage, if he’s elected governor.

The people helping Rauner try to win the election – county chairmen and other party organization bigwigs who’ve been out in the cold for 12 years in terms of state government being a job opportunity for party supporters – can expect nothing in return, Rauner said, in terms of jobs for anyone they might recommend.

“We are going to bring in people who are in the government for the right reasons, who are highly qualified for their positions, and if someone is not qualified, the answer is a clear no. And I want Michael Shakman and his federal hiring monitor right in there with me to make sure every department of government follows through,” he said.

Shakman is a lawyer who sued over patronage in Chicago and Cook County four decades ago. He’s suing now over the placement of political hires at the Illinois Department of Transportation in non-political positions.

Rauner says the people who help his campaign shouldn’t be doing it because they think they’ll be rewarded if he wins, and he wants Republican officials to hear this and believe it.

Recent Headlines

6 hours ago in Business, Entertainment, History, IL State News, Lifestyle, Local, National

Route 66 Centennial celebrations officially underway

Route 66 near Illinois Capitol

Springfield is getting a share of $4 million in grants to help fund Route 66 100th anniversary celebrations.

7 hours ago in Agriculture, Entertainment, IL State News, Lifestyle, Local, Music, National

Country star Bailey Zimmerman, an Illinois native, to perform at Illinois State Fair

Bailey Zimmerman at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Festival held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, USA on September 19, 2025.

The fair announced Tuesday that Bailey Zimmerman will be the headlining grandstand act on "Ag Day" at the fair.

8 hours ago in Olympics, Sports, Trending

Winter Olympics recap: Shiffrin out of the medals again, Klaebo wins another gold

Make that seven straight races without a medal for Mikaela Shiffrin at the Winter Olympics. The American skiing standout was given the ideal platform to win the new team combined event after partner Breezy Johnson led the opening downhill leg on Tuesday.

15 hours ago in Entertainment, Music

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show sparks global streaming surge, Apple Music data shows

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance translated into an immediate surge in global listening, with new data from Apple Music showing sharp gains across streaming charts, playlists and music discovery platforms in the hours following the show.

15 hours ago in Entertainment

Catherine O’Hara died from a pulmonary embolism. Cancer was the underlying cause

A Los Angeles County death certificate issued Monday lists the pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery in the lungs, as the immediate cause of the actor's Jan. 30 death at age 71. Rectal cancer was the long-term cause.