By John Dempsey, WLS-AM News
(CHICAGO) Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Daniel Biss is accusing backers of billionaire J.B. Pritzker of wanting a “coronation” rather than an election. Biss told “The Big John and Ramblin’ Ray Show” on WLS that it is wrong for Democratic party leaders to coalesce behind Pritzker.
“The idea that the Democratic establishment wants to consolidate around a billionaire candidate without experience before having a primary and letting us have that conversation and figure out who’d be best for Illinois, I think is a terrible mistake. I think the voters have to have a choice.”
This past week Democratic U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth endorsed Pritzker, saying he is the best candidate to face off against Republican Governor Bruce Rauner next November.
Pritzker has also gotten the backing of all current Democratic statewide elected officials seeking re-election, the Cook County Democratic organization, the state AFL-CIO and several individual unions.
However on WLS this morning Biss accused those who are backing Pritzker of wanting to hand him the Democratic nomination without having to work for it.
“I think the idea that if we don’t talk about legitimate criticisms of each other then somehow Bruce Rauner won’t be able to attack whoever one of us comes out of the primary, is silly”, said Biss.
“Instead we ought to have a robust primary, we ought to really talk about what the state needs, we ought to talk about our strengths and weaknesses, all of us have strengths and weaknesses, and we’ve got to let the voters fall where they may. It shouldn’t be a coronation. It shouldn’t be an auction. It should be an election.”
Biss is a State Senator and former State Representative from Evanston. He is a math professor with degrees from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. One of his campaign positions is that the wealthy should pay more in income taxes to solve the state’s financial problems.
Biss admits he does not have the personal wealth of Pritzker, who is an heir to the Hyatt hotel chain, but he says he will be able to compete in the March Democratic primary.
“I can’t spend 42 million dollars of my own money like J.B. Pritzker has. I don’t have 42 million dollars. I don’t think I have 42 thousand dollars either. What I do have is millions of dollars from thousands and thousands of people across Illinois and we believe we’re going to have the money to compete. Not dollar for dollar but enough to get that message out about what it looks like if we have a middle class progressive as Governor of Illinois. I think that’s what people want and I think we’re going to be able to be successful.”
@ 2017 WLS-AM News
