SPRINGFIELD — Democrat J.B. Pritzker vowed that the state — despite its immense challenges — is not “broken” and offered jabs to his predecessor as he took office to become the state’s 43rd governor.
With former Gov. Bruce Rauner seated in the front row on stage, Pritzker vowed he “won’t hollow out the functions of government to achieve an ideological agenda.”
“I won’t make government the enemy and government employees the scapegoats,” he said.
And he proclaimed that the state, despite its immense challenges, is “not broken.”
“No, Everything is not broken,” the state’s new governor said shortly after taking the oath of office at the Bank of Springfield Center.
It was a stark contrast to four years ago, when Rauner began his inaugural address by painting a dismal picture of Illinois and calling on everyone to share in the sacrifice required to paint a new future for the state.
“We must accept the challenge and the sacrifice, knowing it will lead us to something greater,” he said in 2015.
READ: The text of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s inauguration address
Pritzker is now the the richest politician in the U.S., his $3.2 billion wealth edging out President Trump’s $3.1 billion, according to Forbes. And Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has now broken an important ceiling in becoming the first African-American lieutenant governor in the state.
Stratton said the historic nature was not lost on her, but warned “there are still doors to open.”
“At 200 years old, Illinois is still a young promise. Our time here has been but a blink. In 2019, we must begin a new century with new maturity and enough foolishness to believe we can make a difference That starts with leadership that abandons single minded, arrogant notions.”
To big applause, Pritzker said the magic words: “Balanced budget.”
“Today, with all the challenges Illinois faces, Democrats and Republicans will work together, and we must begin with our most basic responsibilities. We will propose, debate and pass a balanced budget this year,” Pritzker said. “It won’t be easy, but let’s confront this challenge with honesty. Our obligations as a state outmatch our resources. Our fiscal situation right now is challenging. And the solution requires a collective commitment to embracing hard choices.”
Pritzker, who has never held elected office, said he won’t be “naive” about what it will take to balance a budget. But he offered a warning, “if you lead with partisanship and scare tactics you will be met with considerable political will.”
The governor mentioned many of his priorities, including raising the minimum wage to $15, attracting jobs and businesses to the state, legalizing recreational marijuana and improving the criminal justice system.
Pritzker painted a picture of “possibility” and “promise” as the state continues to grapple with its many problems.
The Illinois Republican Party quickly came to Rauner’s defense, saying, “it’s clear that Governor Pritzker’s agenda will be the same agenda that has dragged our state down for decades — borrow, tax, spend, repeat.”
Chairman Tim Schneider, too, warned that the party “will hold Pritzker, Madigan, Cullerton, and all Democrats accountable for their false promises because we know that they are the main culprits behind Illinois’ fiscal demise.”
In the end, it was Rauner’s push for reforms over a budget that helped lead to his political demise. While he vowed a lengthy turnaround plan, he instead became known for his battles with political foe Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, and left to blame for the state’s longest budget impasse which amassed the state in billions of dollars in debt and decimated the state’s public universities.
The odds were stacked against him as Democrats worked hard to link Rauner to Trump. And Pritzker’s momentum – and record-setting cash flow — was too much to overcome.
Pritzker, buoyed by the $171.5 million he poured into his campaign, led an expansive, well-run statewide campaign, with hundreds of field offices and staffers. His millions of dollars in spending made his television ads unavoidable, as were digital ads splattered onto Facebook, YouTube and even Spotify.
The heir to the Hyatt fortune, too, ensured his chances by starting his campaign early. Pritzker announced his run in April 2017. And Democratic forces had already been in play far earlier to try to defeat Rauner, whom they staged a war with throughout the budget impasse.
The Gold Coast billionaire’s $171.5 million bought him a place in the record books, breezing past Republican Meg Whitman, who set the previous record in 2010, when the former eBay honcho churned $144 million of her own fortune into her losing battle against Democrat Jerry Brown
The combined $255 million that Pritzker and Rauner raised in their bitter battle falls short of the combined $280 million that Brown and Whitman ultimately spent.
The ire of much of Pritzker’s criticism in an astounding 19 months of campaigning was, of course, Rauner. But the outgoing governor — unlike his predecessor Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn — attended the inauguration. Other Republicans in attendance included Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and Illinois Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady, as well as other Republican legislators.
Also at the Illinois inauguration ceremony, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who is running for mayor in Chicago, will soon avoid some controversy by being sworn in by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Rossana Patricia Fernandez — not Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, whose husband Ald. Ed Burke was charged earlier this month in an attempted extortion case. Justice Burke, a close friend, gave Mendoza the oath of office in 2016.
