Mickey Straub sizes up Gov. Bruce Rauner’s first term in office by arguing that avoiding a debate with Republican primary challenger Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) is one of the smartest things he’s done.
“He knows he would lose,” Straub told the Will County Gazette. “Not only that, he wouldn’t even be able to compete. I saw Jeanne speaking at a recent event and she was just on fire. She’s definitely making a dent in Rauner’s re-election plans.”
With just six weeks remaining before the primary, Rauner is coming under increasing fire over his refusal to debate Ives. The Telegraph recently blasted him as a coward after he declined the University of Illinois at Springfield’s offer to set up a debate between the two for sometime in February.
“Jeanne is also the only one that can keep the Governor’s Mansion in Republican hands and help us finally strip (House Speaker Mike) Madigan of power,” Straub, who is running against House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) in the 82nd District, said.
“There’s no way Rauner can do either of those two things with the way he has blown up his base with all of his betrayals of the people that supported him,” Straub added.
As for his own campaign, the Burr Ridge mayor said his message of greater fiscal responsibility and more accountability is resonating strongly with voters.
“We really need to change the way things are done in Springfield,” Straub said. “Illinois is not just on a wrong path, the state is in trouble. We’ve got too many Republicans acting like Democrats. Too many so-called Republican leaders who have lost their way.”
Straub said he is launching the MickeyStraub.com website, which he hopes voters will use as a tool to learn more about him and his policies.
“It’ll lay out the kind of things I stand for and talk about, some of the things I think we can do to turn Illinois back into being a destination state,” he said.
The 82nd District covers parts of Cook, DuPage and Will counties, including Darien, Homer Glen, Lemont and Willowbrook.
Alerts Sign-up