The 2018 race for the Governorship of Illinois is just getting started:
Democratic businessman Chris Kennedy entered the Illinois governor's race Wednesday, assailing Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner for "destroying" the state's economy and failing to lead state government out of its financial mess.
"I think Gov. Rauner's taken a state government budget problem and turned it into economic chaos for the rest of the state. I don't think it needed to go that way. And I think it's fixable," said Kennedy, 53, the son of the slain Democratic liberal icon Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
The announcement came more than a year ahead of the March 2018 primary and signals a growing desire among some Democrats to begin an early and extensive campaign to decide upon a finalist to take on Rauner, a wealthy former private equity investor who has used his own resources in an effort to rebuild the state GOP.
But as Rauner seeks to revitalize the Republican brand in Illinois, particularly by tarnishing veteran Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, it is the current-day value of the decades-old Kennedy legacy that could be put to a test in what's expected to become a contentious election taking place a half-century after his father was assassinated while seeking the presidency.
And today, Kennedy doubled down on those attacks:
One day after he announced his run for Illinois governor, businessman Chris Kennedy is calling current Gov. Bruce Rauner heartless.
Kennedy was interviewed on WGN Morning News Thursday, and anchor Robin Baumgarten asked him,"What do you say to people who say, here's another wealthy guy who's just going to throw money at the office. How much different will it be than what Bruce Rauner is doing?"
Kennedy responded: "I think it's important that people of drive and ambition and intelligence like Gov. Rauner does, but I think you also have to have a heart and a sensitivity, and I don't think there's any demonstration that he has a heart."
Baumgarten followed up by saying, "That seems harsh, you're calling him heartless."
"Well I think he is. He's thrown a million people of out government programs. He sat on the sidelines while 75 percent of these kids are doomed to a life of economic oppression," Kennedy said.
During the five minute interview, Kennedy also denied that he was pawn of Mike Madigan. Illinois Republican Party spokesman Steven Yaffe had said: "Mike Madigan has already endorsed Chris Kennedy's run because he knows that Kennedy will never stand up to him."
"It's an insult to me, it's an insult to the Kennedy family, but more important, it's an insult to voters in Illinois. No one believes that," Kennedy said.
Now there are still plenty of other Democrats who are waiting to enter the race and right now Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar (D. IL) & civil engineer and business owner, Alex Paterakis, are the only other two declared candidates in the Democratic primary. But I for one am loving Kennedy’s fighting words and taking down this 1% Tea Party Governor is going to require a serious fight. I want to see more of this.