Illinois republican gubernatorial candidates have mixed reactions to Democrat Bill Daley’s decision to drop out of the race. IPR'S LaurenChooljian reports.
The news about Daley came just weeks after he announced his candidacy. Daley says he realized he wasn’t up for the quote “enormity” of campaigning.
In a written response, Republican venture capitalist Bruce Rauner said more about Governor Pat Quinn than about Daley. Rauner says he’s the only candidate that can offer a break from the failed policies coming out of Springfield, calling Quinn a “master of machine politics.”
Meanwhile, his competitor State Senator Bill Brady says if Daley’s heart wasn’t in it, he made the right decision and it won’t change the race much.
"Bond houses certainly have not been kind to Pat Quinn. The job market hasn’t shown positive results. You know, we’ve lost 200 thousand jobs in the last 5 ½ years here in IL under Pat Quinn. There’s plenty of ammunition that will show the weaknesses of the Quinn administration."
Brady and Quinn faced off in the 2010 election. Brady lost by about 32,000 votes.
Other Republican candidates include state senator Kirk Dillard and state Treasurer Dan Rutherford.