A southern Illinois Democrat in a crowded race for governor is making the case that he's got the best chance of winning in November.
Bob Daiber is a former city councilman and county board member who's now superintendent of schools in Madison County, near Saint Louis. Daiber says his pro-labor stances contrast nicely with Republican Governor Bruce Rauner's so-called Turnaround Agenda. And Daiber says his own middle-class pedigree is what the Democratic Party needs to win.
"We have to make a decision in this state whether we want billionaires to govern us. I believe that the best thing that could happen for all of Illinois, from Chicago to Cairo, is if an everyday working class person as myself became the next governor, that really understands how everyday people work and live."
That "billionaires" line is a shot at both the wealthy Rauner and Democratic front-runner JB Pritzker -- himself a billionaire.
Daiber also wants Illinois to ban the use of a controversial herbicide that’s damaged crops all over the Midwest. He says the state should follow the lead of Arkansas and Missouri, which have approved new rules limiting the use of dicamba. The Illinois Department of Agriculture did issue new guidance on dicamba last fall. Daiber says it doesn’t go far enough.
Other Democrats in the March 20th primary include Daniel Biss, Chris Kennedy, Tio (TEE-oh) Hardiman, and Robert Marshall.
