4:30 p.m.
Gov. Bruce Rauner has rallied Republicans at the Illinois State Fair by bashing Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and promising to make the GOP the “majority party.”
The first-term Republican rounded off a slate of candidates for statewide office at Governor’s Day Wednesday. Rauner is facing his own tough re-election campaign against billionaire Democrat J.B. Pritzker.
Rauner is tying Pritzker to his political nemesis Madigan. Madigan has been House speaker for three decades and thwarted the conservative agenda Rauner brought to office in 2015. Madigan is also the chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party.
Another star at Wednesday’s rally was Erika Harold. She is the Harvard-educated Champaign attorney who’s running for the vacant post of attorney general. She faces Democratic state Sen. Kwame Raoul (KWAH’-may rah-OOL’) in November.
Democrat Day is Thursday. But the fanfare surrounding the event was dampened when scheduled keynoter Joe Biden canceled. The former Democratic vice president is ill and can’t travel.
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4:55 a.m.
Illinois Republicans are converging on Springfield and the Illinois State Fair for Governor’s Day .
The annual festivities Wednesday draw a focus on the crucial November balloting. Gov. Bruce Rauner is trying to win re-election along with a slate of statewide and congressional candidates.
Republican regulars meet early Wednesday in downtown Springfield before GOP faithful hit the fairgrounds for an old-fashioned campaign rally at noon.
Rauner is scheduled to speak at 1 p.m. The multimillionaire faces billionaire Democrat J.B. Pritzker in a tough fall campaign.
Rauner will be joined by GOP statewide candidates. Notable among them will be attorney general hopeful Erika Harold. The Champaign lawyer is up against Democratic state Sen. Kwame Raoul (KWAH’-may rah-OOL’) of Chicago for an open seat.
Rain is forecast all day.
Democrat Day is Thursday.