Bruce Rauner

Bruce Rauner (2015)

Bruce Vincent Rauner (born February 18, 1956 in Chicago ) is an American politician and businessman . He is a member of the Republican Party and was Governor of Illinois from January 12, 2015 to January 14, 2019 .

Earlier years and political advancement

Education, career in business

Rauner comes from Chicago, where he was born in 1956. His father Vincent Rauner was a lawyer and later also Senior Vice President of Motorola , while his mother earned a living as a nurse. Rauner's grandfather came from Sweden . Rauner studied economics at Dartmouth College and later graduated from Harvard University . Rauner then worked for more than 30 years at GTCR, which is active in the private equity sector. He left the company in October 2012 and started his own investment firm called R8 Capitol Partners .

Through his work as an entrepreneur, Rauner made a billion dollar fortune. However, the amount of his assets is not publicly known. Rauner also became known after donating several million dollars to public schools and other educational projects.

Rauner is politically active in the Republican Party . At times he acted as economic policy advisor to the Democratic Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel .

Candidate for governor of Illinois in 2014

Map of Illinois with the result of the gubernatorial election 2014 by counties (the stronger the color, the greater the lead in each case):

Majority for Pat Quinn (D)

Majority for Bruce Rauner (R)

In June 2013, Rauner officially announced his candidacy for governor of Illinois in the 2014 election. He invested around $ 63.9 million in the election campaign, including $ 27.3 million from his private assets. In the internal party primaries on March 18, 2014 Rauner won with 40 percent of the vote, just ahead of State Senators Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard . With that he secured the nomination of the Republican Party. As a candidate for the office of Lieutenant Governor was Evelyn Sanguinetti , a councilor from Wheaton placed. Sanguinetti became the first lieutenant governor of Illinois of Latin American origin.

In December 2013, Rauner hit the headlines when he spoke out in favor of lowering the Illinois statutory minimum wage from $ 8.25 to $ 7.25 an hour. He was then sharply criticized by the Democrats. Rauner later revised this statement by calling for an increase in the national minimum wage. In his opinion, this should not damage the state's competitiveness . Rauner rejected allegations by democrats and trade unions that they wanted to lower the minimum wage as governor. The minimum wage was raised in November 2014, parallel to the gubernatorial election, through a referendum initiated by the Democrat. Rauner welcomed the vote, but at the same time called for reforms from which the economy should benefit.

In the gubernatorial election on November 4, 2014 , Rauner was able to defeat the Democratic incumbent Pat Quinn with a share of 50.3 percent of the vote , for whom 46.3 percent of the voters voted. With the exception of Cook County , which has traditionally been home to many Democratic voters due to its high levels of urbanization , he was able to win a majority in all of the other 101 counties in the state . However, his performance in the greater Chicago area was also considered strong, where he received around a quarter of the vote. Rauner's internal party competitor Bill Brady, who was set up by his party in 2010, performed significantly worse in this region four years earlier. In the polls from March to September 2014, the Republican was mostly in the lead. The election result was viewed by political observers as completely open after Quinn was recently able to catch up in the polls. A major factor of uncertainty for Rauner was the candidacy of Chad Grimm from the Libertarian Party , which usually took more votes from the Republicans, which can be decisive in the election in tight races, as the relative majority is enough to win the election . Therefore Rauner and his team never tire of stressing that they would warn of a democratic triumph if too many votes were to go to Grimm. Since Grimm ultimately only received a little more than three percent of the vote, Rauner's strategy proved its worth. Political observers also attributed his electoral success to a strong mobilization of the Republican electorate and Quinn's low popularity. In addition, Rauner had succeeded in addressing large numbers of swing voters in the majority of the Democrats in Illinois by taking very moderate positions in socio-political areas compared to other Republicans. Together with his wife Diana, who is a member of the Democratic Party, he campaigned for dissatisfied democratic voters. At the same time, according to surveys, he was able to present himself as competent in the field of economic policy .

In the run-up to the election, Rauner had already announced that he would not accept the salary he was entitled to as governor and further financial allowances. This is now not uncommon among wealthy politicians. The newly elected governor of Pennsylvania , Democrat Tom Wolf , announced the same.

Illinois Governor

Bruce Rauner with his wife Diana at the inauguration celebrations on January 12, 2015

Governor Rauner during a company tour in June 2016

Rauner welcomes members of the armed forces (March 2017)

Rauner was introduced to his new office on January 12, 2015. In his speech on taking office, Rauner announced comprehensive economic reforms and a restructuring of the state budget . He identified these two goals and improving the education system as his top priorities as head of government. However, as governor, he has to rely on cooperation with the Democrats , who have clear majorities in both chambers of the State Legislature, particularly when it comes to legislation . Nevertheless, without the votes of Republican MPs, the Democrats cannot reject a veto by the head of government with the required two-thirds majority . Rauner announced that he would work with parliamentarians from both parties. After his election victory, he spoke out against the extension of a temporary tax increase, which, according to his predecessor, should be passed during the old election period in December 2014. However, this was rejected in parliament.

As a first official act, Rauner signed an executive order on January 13, 2015 , which obliges all federal ministries and authorities to freeze unnecessary expenses until further notice. He also decreed in another decree that it should be checked which state property should be sold and where further savings could be made.

Economic policy

On February 9, 2015, Rauner issued an order that will make mandatory union fees voluntary for state employees. Union representatives sharply criticized the governor for this and accused him of wanting to weaken the position of the employee representatives for political reasons. He was also accused of abuse of power . Rauner denied this criticism, stating that employees who are not members of a union could not be forced to pay a fee to it. In addition, Rauner commissioned a former public prosecutor to sue the previous requirement with the aim of the competent court classifying it as unconstitutional .

Budget crisis

After he took office, a month-long dispute broke out between Rauner and the Democrats over the state budget. In particular, Rauner and the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives Michael Madigan held each other responsible for the political blockade. Rauner vetoed several budget proposals promoted by Madigan, as the governor refused to accept new debt. Its rejection, for which a two-thirds majority is required, would only be possible with the help of a few Republican MPs, who have so far supported Rauner. A handful of Democrats also deviated from Madigan's line and agreed to make concessions to Rauner. The Democratic majorities in the House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate rejected the deregulation of the economy and spending cuts proposed by Rauner . In the summer of 2016, after more than a year without a completely passed budget, Rauner publicly accused Madigan of failure. He also repeated his demand for legal term limits for electoral offices in Illinois, which he sees as a reason for a "blockade policy". Madigan repeatedly denied this. On June 30, 2016, Rauner signed a transitional budget that ensured full funding of educational institutions for a further six months. After a draft budget proposed by Rauner for the 2017/18 fiscal year was rejected by the democratically dominated parliament at the beginning of 2017, the two chambers of parliament passed their own draft at the end of June 2017, which among other things provides for an increase in income tax. Before that, public pressure on political actors had risen as various rating agencies announced that they would further downgrade the state's creditworthiness if no budget was drawn up for the 2017/18 financial year either. Rauner vetoed the draft in early July. He justified his decision by saying that the draft would further increase the ongoing budget deficit. In particular, the governor rejected the tax increases included. A few days after the veto, both chambers of the state legislature overruled the veto, giving Illinois the first time since 2015 to have a regular budget. A handful of Republicans had also turned against their governor in the end. In addition, the 2016 elections brought an increase in seats for the Democrats, who were thus able to expand their majorities.

Social policy

On July 29, 2016, Rauner signed a law requiring doctors who refuse to abort on moral grounds to refer their patients to facilities that perform abortions. The previous vote in the State Legislature was strictly based on party lines. While the Democratic majorities voted for the bill, not a single Republican voted for the bill. Many Republicans who oppose the right to abortion took Rauner's approval of the law as an opportunity to criticize it.

After the Democrats passed an automatic voter registration bill in Illinois in August 2016, Rauner vetoed it. The governor said he was in favor of automatic voter registration in principle, but rejected the clause contained in the draft on registration with the aid of new driver's licenses . This method is too susceptible to possible manipulation. So far, citizens of Illinois who are eligible to vote have to register in order to vote. This applies to all elections, including at the national level, since the right to vote in the USA is the responsibility of the individual states.

Candidate for re-election in 2018

In the summer of 2016, Rauner confirmed in an interview that he wanted to apply for a second term as governor in the elections in autumn 2018. In late 2017, Republican MP in the Illinois House of Representatives , Jeanne Ives , announced her intention to run against Rauner in the March 2018 Republican primary . Ives accuses the governor of poor leadership and calls for a more conservative course in social politics. Above all, she criticized Rauner's positive attitude towards immigration and his pro-choice position, which grants women the right to abortion. Rauner, on the other hand, defended his policy during a debate and, unlike Ives, sees himself more able to reach decisive alternating voters and thus beat a democratic challenger. Despite an initially clear lead in the party's internal polls, Rauner has lost a number of supporters among the Republican MPs who called for the election of Ives. In the weeks before the vote on the top Republican candidacy, Ives was able to catch up significantly in surveys. In the election on March 20, 2018, Rauner only narrowly prevailed with 51.5% to 48.5%. He was formally designated as a Republican candidate. As a running mate he nominated his acting deputy Evelyn Sanguinetti in advance.

In the actual gubernatorial election at the beginning of November 2018, Rauner lost to his democratic challenger JB Pritzker , who was also a billionaire investor, as predicted by surveys . Rauner only got 39% of the vote, while Pritzker won 54%. In the political discourse, Rauner attacked his challenger even before the primaries, after Pritzker was confronted with allegations of income tax avoidance. In addition, Rauner's campaign published a telephone recording by the FBI , which suggests that Pritzker offered election campaign donations for political office to Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was later convicted of corruption . In the public debate, Rauner also concentrated his election campaign on the harsh criticism of the democratic parliamentary president and opposition leader Michael Madigan . The governor repeatedly accused him of being corrupt and blocking crucial reforms for more economic growth. Since Madigan and some of his supporters have been in parliament for decades, Rauner also renewed his vehement demand for a legal term limit for public offices in Illinois, as they exist in other US states. According to the governor, political reforms can only be implemented through new mandate holders.

Rauner's mandate expired on January 14, 2019.

Political classification

Rauner belongs to the moderate wing of his party, which is less conservative and more oriented towards the political center . In socio-political terms, he partly takes liberal positions: He welcomed the equality of same-sex marriages in Illinois in 2013 . Also Immigration is Rauner positive about. Unlike most Republican officials, Rauner rejects a ban on abortions ( pro-choice point of view). In his 2014 election manifesto he spoke out in favor of a stronger fight against corruption and patronage . For the 2014 elections, he politically and financially supported a citizens' initiative to limit the governor's term of office to two terms (as is already the case in other states). Although the petition found enough support to be put to the vote, the state Supreme Court ruled such an initiative unconstitutional in August 2014 .

In economic policy, Rauner advocates deregulation and a lean state . He repeatedly spoke out in favor of setting up individual right-to-work zones in order to strengthen the competitiveness of structurally weak regions. However, unlike many of his party comrades, he rejects such a right-to-work law, with which the influence of trade unions is restricted, for the entire state of Illinois. Rauner describes himself as fiscally conservative (English fiscal conservative ), which means that he is a restrictive fiscal policy confesses and deficit spending hostile faces. However, this position has less to do with conservatism itself; a number of progressive politicians from the Democratic Party, such as the California Governor Jerry Brown, describe themselves as conservative in terms of fiscal policy.

Before the 2016 US presidential election , Rauner said he would not support Donald Trump as a candidate for his party. He joined some fellow Republican governors like John Kasich from Ohio , Charlie Baker from Massachusetts and Larry Hogan from Maryland . Even after Trump took office, Rauner tried to distance himself from the new US president .

In May 2018, he spoke out in favor of reintroducing the death penalty in Illinois for two groups of perpetrators, namely police officers and multiple murderers. The death penalty has not been used in Illinois since 1999 and was legally abolished under his predecessor Pat Quinn in 2011.

Private life

Bruce Rauner has been married to his wife Diana since 1994 and has two sons and four daughters. Three of his children are from a previous marriage. He lives with his family in Winnetka , in northern Illinois on Lake Michigan . He is of the Jewish faith. His wife is a member of the Democratic Party.

Despite his wealth, Rauner is known for a modest lifestyle, which he also discussed in his 2014 election campaign: He drives a 20-year-old minibus and wears a wristwatch that he claims is worth 18 US dollars.

Web links

Commons : Bruce Rauner  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Web presence of the governor office (English)
• Personal Website (English)
• Profile at Ballotpedia (English)
• Bruce Rauner in the NGA

Individual evidence

1. ↑ https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/11/01/bruce-rauner-birth-year-mistake/
2. ^ ^{A b} GOP race for governor: Bruce Rauner profile. (No longer available online.) Sun Times, March 7, 2014, archived from the original March 11, 2014 ; accessed on August 23, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ Monica Davey: In Illinois, Republicans See an Office Up for Grabs. The New York Times, March 16, 2014, accessed November 7, 2014 . 
4. ↑ Meet IL Governor Bruce Rauner , Huffington Post (English)
5. ↑ Minimum weight a maximum headache for Rauner. (No longer available online.) Reboot Illinois, archived from the original on Aug. 26, 2014 ; accessed on August 23, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
6. ↑ Bruce Rauner explains how to raise the minimum dare. Chicago Tribune, January 9, 2014, accessed August 23, 2014 . 
7. ↑ Real Clear Politics: Illinois Governor: Pat Quinn vs. Bruce Rauner
8. ↑ Rich Miller: How Bruce Rauner won the race for Illinois Governor and Pat Quinn lost. ChicagoBusiness, November 7, 2014, accessed November 8, 2014 . 
9. ↑ Why Bruce Rauner for governor - in his own words. (No longer available online.) Sun Times, Oct. 3, 2014, archived from the original on Nov. 12, 2014 ; accessed on November 14, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
10. ↑ Bruce Rauner Sworn in As Governor: "I Am Ready to Go to Work For You" , NBC News, January 12, 2015 (English)
11. ↑ Natascha Korecki: Gov.-elect Rauner's message to Quinn, Legislature: Whoa! (No longer available online.) Sun Times, Nov. 6, 2014, archived from the original on Nov. 7, 2014 ; accessed on November 7, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
12. ↑ Gov. Rauner Signs First Executive Order , mystateline.com, January 13, 2015 (English)
13. ↑ Rauner hires Dan Webb in move against 'forced' union dues; labor vows battle , Chicago Sun-Times, February 9, 2015 (English)
14. ^ Madigan budget: $ 700 million more for schools; Rauner ally says plan is $ 7 billion short , Chicago Tribune, May 26, 2016
15. ↑ House Democrats Defy Governor Rauner, Push Own Budget , CBS News, May 25, 2016 (English)
16. ↑ Rauner signs stopgap budget, school funding bill - but relief from stalemate proves temporary , Chicago Tribune, June 30, 2016 (English)
17. ↑ Illinois Finally Has A Budget , WBEZ News, July 6, 2017
18. ↑ Illinois governor signs bill forcing pro-life doctors to promote abortion , Washington Times, August 2, 2016 (English)
19. ↑ Rauner vetoes automatic voter registration bill , Chicago Tribune, August 12, 2016 (English)
20. ↑ Rauner quietly confirms re-election bid , Chicago Suntimes, June 26, 2016 (English)
21. ↑ Jeanne Ives Asks 'What's Offensive?' About 'Provocative' Campaign Ad , Chicago Tonight, February 5, 2018
22. ↑ Gov. Bruce Rauner and JB Pritzker to Face Off in Illinois , The New York Times , March 21, 2018
23. ↑ P ritzker bears brunt of attacks at Democratic governor forum over property tax breaks, Blagojevich wiretaps , Chicago Tribune , May 31, 2017 (English)
24. ^ Rauner's term limits plan rejected , Daily Herald, August 22, 2014 (English).
25. ↑ Bruce Rauner won't endorse Donald Trump for President , Illinoisomepage.net (English).
26. ↑ Rauner skips dinner with Trump in DC, is 'in conversations' with administration about violence , Chicago Tribune, February 27, 2017 (English).
27. ↑ www.brucerauner.com
28. ^ Washingtonpost.com: Illinois governor wants the state to revive its death penalty for mass murderers and people who kill police
29. ↑ brucerauner.com: About Bruce Rauner ( Memento of the original from July 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.