The two men dueling to be Illinois' next governor tried Wednesday to win over business leaders with their plans for the state's finances. They both made appearances before a joint meeting of Illinois' retailers and manufacturers, in Springfield.
"It's my distinct pleasure to introduce to you, the 41st Governor of the State of Illinois, His Excellency, Pat Quinn...)
Quinn got a standing ovation as he took the stage. But the response after that was lukewarm.
Just before Quinn's speech, several business owners had been at the podium, complaining about Illinois' high unemployment rate, regulations and taxes.
It's the type of audience not likely to applaud when the governor threatened "savage" cuts unless Illinois extended an income tax hike that was supposed to be temporary.
Quinn's Republican opponent, private equity investor Bruce Rauner, gave a message more in line with the business community: that Illinois' economy will improve by cutting taxes.
"They're taking your money and spending it on other things. And you don't have the money then, to hire people. You don't have the money to invest, and grow."
Rauner has yet to unveil a budget plan, though. And Quinn urged the business crowd not to go along with what he called Rauner's "platitudes."