Governor Rauner is Leaning Toward a Reelection Bid

Constant fighting with political opponents, finger pointing, name calling, credit downgrades, and of course, a year without a budget--who would want to sign up for that once, let alone twice? Well, it's beginning to look like Governor Bruce Rauner has 2018 on his mind.

In a meeting with the Chicago Tribune's Editorial Board on Monday, Rauner said he would be running for reelection as Illinois' governor in 2018. No specifics about his bid were revealed, prompting House Speaker Michael Madigan's spokesperson, Steve Brown, to say he thought the announcement looked unplanned. "He blurted it out. It was hardly a well-prepared statement.”

More from Reboot Illinois:

When asked which Democrat might face off against Rauner come 2018, Brown said he’s not entirely convinced the current governor would automatically get the GOP nomination.

“After trashing (Donald) Trump, Rauner’s going to have to go up against other Republican candidates in a primary,” Brown said. “And there’s no surety he’ll be the candidate.”

Rauner won his initial bid for governor in 2014 with a 4-percentage-point victory over incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn.

That certainly seems welcoming and friendly, doesn't it? The tone of Madigan's mouthpiece would seem to indicate there's plenty more venom where that came from, but remember, Governor Rauner has shown himself capable of dishing it out, too: