Chris Kennedy announces bid for governor

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Lars Lonroth, Freelance Writer

Chris Kennedy, nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, announced on Feb. 8 that he is putting his foot into the race for governor of Illinois, one of the now four contenders aiming for the Democratic spot against incumbent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

“I believe we can recreate the future of this state. I believe we can restore the American dream for the people of Illinois in one generation,” Kennedy said in a video announcing his candidacy. “I’ve seen from so many different vantage-points the potential of the state, but then I see the failing of our government.”

In the video, Kennedy accused Rauner of being the cause of much of Illinois most controversial struggles: the state’s lack of budget, layoffs, and the “growing despair” in Illinois.

The 2018 race for governor, while still quite far away, appears to be one that will cost a pretty-penny for the candidates running, with Gov. Rauner syphoning $50 million dollars of his personal fortune into his re-election war chest, an intimidating road-block for potential Democratic challengers.

Mounting a vicious attack over Kennedy’s ties to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, the Illinois Republican Party accused Kennedy of being a “Madigan lap dog,” an attack the party appears to be ready and able to unleash at many of the potential Democratic candidates moments after they announce their candidacy.

“Mike Madigan has already endorsed Chris Kennedy’s run because he knows that Kennedy will never stand up to him,” Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe said in a statement released shortly after Kennedy’s run was announced. “We need a governor who will fight for reform, not another Mike Madigan-first politicians.”

The Kennedy campaign didn’t respond to request for comments from The LION. But in an interview with WGN the day after he announced his candidacy, Kennedy dismissed the claims the state GOP’s claim, and said that “no-one believes” the Republican’s claims.

“To say that I am a lapdog or a pawn of Mike Madigan, a member of the Kennedy family—that is an insult to me, and insult to the Kennedy family and, more importantly, it’s an insult to the voters of the state of Illinois,” Kennedy said.

Alex Paterakis, a small business owner from Skokie who is also vying to take on Gov. Rauner on the Democratic ticket, took a tone similar in nature to the Republicans saying that he looks “forward to debate Kennedy,” and bolstered the fact that he is the only Democrat with “no connection to the establishment.”

Republicans, though, are fiercely attempting to tie many Democratic candidates to long-term politicians in Springfield like Madigan, whom they claim in an ad “spent 26 year cutting deals” to enriching himself and his “cronies.”