Crowded governor race awaits Illinois voters
SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Pat Quinn came into office under unusual circumstances after Rod Blagojevich was arrested and run out of office. Now, several candidates are vying for the office the old-fashioned way - through an election.
Quinn will face Comptroller Dan Hynes for the Democratic nomination while the Republican field features six candidates ranging from well-known party figures to some who have never held public office.
Republican hopefuls are former state GOP Chairman Andy McKenna, state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale, former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, Hinsdale businessman Adam Andrzejewski and conservative commentator Dan Proft.
How to tackle the state's massive $13 billion budget shortfall has been a constant thread in both party's races. Both Democrats have said some form of a tax increase is needed to chip away at the fiscal woes plaguing the state while Republicans have mostly touted the need to rein in costs.
Hynes wants a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to raise taxes on wealthier Illinoisans. He said he wants a 3.5 percent income tax rate on those making more than $200,000 a year and a 7.5 percent rate on those making more than a $1 million. Quinn, however, has supported raising the 3 percent income tax rate to 4.5 percent with more exemptions for middle-class families.
Meanwhile, all but two Republicans have said raising taxes would cause more damage. Ryan and Dillard are the lone GOP candidates who haven't closed the door on a tax increase, saying it would be irresponsible to do so. All the Republican candidates have vowed to slash government spending but haven't been clear as to what they would cut or what services taxpayers would have to give up.
On the Democratic side, Hynes and Quinn have tried to pin scandals on one another over the last month. Hynes, for instance, has blasted Quinn for his botched early release program that let violent inmates out after spending a short time in prison. In response, Quinn has waged attacks against Hynes' handling of the Burr Oak cemetery scandal where bodies were allegedly dug up and plots resold.
As for controversies on the Republican side, Ryan has been criticized for repeatedly prosecuting two men for murder in the early 1990s while he was DuPage County's state's attorney even after doubts arose about the evidence. Ryan has since apologized. McKenna faced criticism for including his name in a poll he commissioned while head of the state party to gauge support for a possible gubernatorial run. Party leaders later ruled it was wrong of him to do so.
Naperville Republican Bob Schillerstrom dropped out of the race, but too late to remove his name from the ballot.