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Basic information on political candidates

quinn-vs-raunerBy Elai Kobayashi-Solomon
Opinion Editor
With the midterm elections coming up Tuesday, you may have heard all about baby-killer Bruce Rauner (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atPXP862L6A) and plane-riding, money-stealing Pat Quinn (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGNkN8IVbXA) from the harsh political ads circulating the internet. However, while these attack ads may get you angry and riled up, they fail to explain what is actually important in an election: who the candidates really are, and what issues they support. So, here’s a basic overview of the candidates, so that regardless of who wins the election on November 4th, you’ll have at least some idea of the person that will end up running our state.
Pat Quinn: Born 1948 in Hinsdale, Illinois, Quinn earned Juris Doctorate from Northwestern University School of Law in 1980 before starting to get more actively involved in the Illinois political scene. His first major break was in 1990, when he was elected Illinois State Treasurer. In 2002, Quinn won the Democratic nomination for Illinois Lieutenant Governor, and managed to defeat Republican candidate Bill Brady in 2010 to become the governor of Illinois. Currently, he is running for reelection as a Democrat.
Bruce Rauner: Born 1957 in Deerfield, Illinois, Rauner is a businessman who is the Chairman of R8 Capital Partners, a company based in Chicago. He graduated with an MBA from Harvard, and worked for more than 30 years as Chairman of the private equity firm GTCR before starting his own business. Although he has not been involved in politics until now, Rauner is running as a Republican to become governor of Illinois.
Major issues:
Taxes: Quinn supports keeping the income tax rate as it is now, at five percent, and argues that losing the tax money would hurt the Illinois budget just as things are starting to look better. On the other hand, Rauner believes that income taxes should be lowered from five to three percent, and argues that this tax drop will have a positive effect on the Illinois economy.
Guns: Quinn is opposed to concealed-carry, supports a ban on assault weapons, and attempted to rewrite legislation to make concealed-carry laws more restrictive. Rauner openly supports the new concealed-carry law, but hasn’t really addressed his views on assault weapons.
MInimum Wage: Quinn favors raising the minimum wage above 10 dollars an hour, saying that this would help stimulate the economy. Rauner has also said that he favors increasing the minimum wage, but only if it comes with a large package of reforms that help businesses. However, Rauner has said previously that he was opposed to raising minimum wage.
 

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