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State Senator Daniel Biss Announces Candidacy For Governor

By aaroncynic in News on Mar 20, 2017 4:26PM

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State Sen. Daniel Biss at an event at the Merchandise Mart in 2014. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty
Illinois State Senator Daniel Biss has joined an increasing chorus of Democrats planning to challenge Governor Bruce Rauner in 2018, announcing his candidacy over Facebook Live Monday morning.

“This is a campaign for the rest of us,” said Biss. “I’m asking you to imagine an Illinois where we unleash our full potential because we do things differently.”

Biss joins Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar, businessman Chris Kennedy, Madison County School Superintendent Bob Daiber, and Alex Paterakis, a 29 year-old man from Skokie. Billionaire J.B. Pritzker also announced the formation of an exploratory committee last week.

Biss, a former mathematics professor at the University of Chicago,who currently represents the 9th District which encompasses several north suburbs, has been a vocal critic of Rauner. The Evanston Democrat headed a PAC in 2016 that spent about $10 million on ads connecting the governor to President Trump after he secured the GOP nomination.

In his announcement, Biss tied the budget crisis to the state’s current flat tax system, advocating for a graduated one where people with more wealth would be taxed at higher rates as one possible solution to end the 20 month impasse. He also criticized Rauner and other Illinois politicians at large for spending more time laying blame than outlying a fix.

“This is an abomination, no state’s been in this situation before,” said Biss. Bruce Rauner became governor and Illinois has now gone through a budget stalemate like it has never before. It is a failure and it’s wrong. We need to put aside the finger pointing and behind the scenes bickering.”

Predictably, the Illinois Republican Party sent out a statement playing up Biss’s ties to House Speaker Michael Madigan, calling him part of the speaker’s “machine.”

“Don't let his exterior fool you, Daniel Biss is the North Shore branch of the Madigan machine,” read the statement. “Biss has taken over $260,000 in Madigan money, supported Madigan for Speaker and voted for billions in unbalanced Madigan spending. Last fall, Biss proved his loyalty to Speaker Madigan once and for all by running a Madigan political front group that spent millions leading up to the Election.”

Biss however, did field a question about his relationship to Madigan during the broadcast.

“I’ve been clear for a long time that Madigan’s been there for too long,” said Biss, who mentioned a Constitutional amendment he pushed in 2011 that would’ve imposed term limits prohibiting legislative members from serving in leadership positions for more than ten years. “The problems are not about a person, they’re about a broken system.”

Like any other challenger, Biss will have an uphill battle when it comes to competing with Rauner’s campaign war chest, which the governor personally contributed $50 million of his own money to in December. At least two of Biss’s potential challengers - Chris Kennedy and J.B. Pritzker - have access to millions of dollars.

“I’m not the millionaire or billionaire in this race but i think Illinois is facing a moment where what we need more than anything is a movement of people,” Biss said. “I’m running for governor to be a part of that movement. If we choose to run our campaigns on money, not people, is what matters—I’m not your guy. If you believe what we need to do is build a movement and build a politics based on what people need i’m optimistic about this race.”