 Rauner's initial effort will not be a formal or traditional campaign. After
spending several months talking with local and national leaders in business,
education reform and politics, and crisscrossing the state attending Lincoln Day
dinners and other events, Rauner is now entering a more intense period of
consideration of a potential candidacy. For the next 60 days, Rauner will
significantly increase his events and meetings, while looking to make a final
determination on a candidacy well in advance of the March 2014 primary election.
Rauner commented: "I was born and raised in Illinois. I've raised my family and
grown businesses here. And I love our state. That's why it's so heartbreaking to
see the mess we're in. Near the bottom in the nation in unemployment and tax
rates. Worst in the country in debt and credit ratings. Rampant corruption in
government. Failing schools and violent crime that destroy the future of too
many of our children. We need major changes in the way we tax and spend, the way
we treat businesses and workers, the way we deal with our state budget and
pensions, and the way we run our schools. The political class in Springfield are
either unwilling to, or incapable of, making the kind of changes we need. That's
why I'm considering running for governor."
Rauner continued: "I have a few ideas that I'm very passionate about, but I
don't have all the answers. I want to hear what's on Illinoisans' minds. For the
next 60 days I'm going to do something folks in Springfield don't do -- listen.
I want to listen to how our citizens think we should tackle our state's
problems. That's the first step in reclaiming our state -- engaging our people,
listening to ideas and hearing about things I don't know. In the process, I hope
to figure out whether our people might be interested in a candidate for governor
who is a self-made entrepreneur rather than a politician, who has a passion for
education, and a track record of getting results in business and the economy."
Rauner also released a list of 20 individuals who are members of the Rauner
Exploratory Committee. That list is below.
Jim Schultz, from Effingham, former chairman of the board of the Illinois
Chamber of Commerce, is chairman of the exploratory committee. Schultz said:
"Bruce Rauner has the economic know-how, the leadership skills and the passion
for reform we desperately need in Springfield. If there ever was a time when
state government needed a breath of fresh air, it is now, and it is Bruce Rauner."
Jack Roeser, from Carpentersville, a Republican Party leader and member of
the exploratory committee, said: "Politicians come and go without making much of
a change to the status quo. Illinois needs a major economic transformation, and
that's what we'd get with Bruce Rauner. He has the backbone to stand up to the
status quo power brokers in Springfield. Rauner doesn't need the job and can't
be bribed, bought or pushed around. That's what our state needs now."
Rauner's listening tour starts this week in Morton and Okawville and will
take him to every corner of Illinois.
Background on Bruce Rauner
Bruce Rauner was born and raised in Illinois. His grandfather was a
Swedish-speaking, small-town dairyman; he taught Bruce about fishing, hunting
and the value of hard work. Bruce's first job was flipping burgers; his second
job was parking cars. A hardworking and good student, he worked while he
attended Dartmouth College, where he graduated with top honors, and he earned an
MBA from Harvard.
Returning to Illinois, in 1981, Bruce began working at then-startup
investment company Golder, Thoma, Cressey, later known as GTCR. As one of its
earliest partners, Rauner was able to help build the firm into one of the most
successful businesses in Illinois.
Bruce and his wife, Diana, are leading figures in many community and
charitable activities in Illinois. Chief among them are support of public
education and education reform, including the movement to expand charter schools
and support teacher training.
Rauner is an avid outdoorsman. He and his six children enjoy fly-fishing,
bird hunting and skiing. He also likes to ride his Harley and drive his
22-year-old camper van.
Rauner has never run for office before. He has raised a family and built a
successful business in the state he loves. Heartbroken and outraged by Illinois'
current standing among the worst in the nation in jobs, debt, taxes, credit
rating, crime and public education, he has formed an exploratory committee to
gauge support for a possible run for governor.
Exploratory committee
-
Chairman: J.M. "Jim" Schultz,
Effingham -- founder of Open Prairie Ventures; former chairman of Illinois
Chamber of Commerce; founder and past president of Effingham County
Community Foundation; board member and past chairman of Southeastern
Illinois Community Foundation
-
Co-chair: Elizabeth Christie,
Chicago -- founder of Avent America; angel investor in small startups; board
member of the Illinois Policy Institute
-
Dr. Richard Chaifetz, Lake
Forest -- founder, chairman and CEO of ComPsych Corp., the world's largest
employer of employee assistance programs, serving over 53 million
individuals throughout the U.S. and 120 countries; chairman of Chaifetz
Group; member of The Economic Club of Chicago and The Executives' Club of
Chicago
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-
Lula Ford, Chicago
-- former Chicago public school teacher, principal and
administrator, and public school reform activist; was also the
first African-American appointed to the Illinois Commerce
Commission in its 95-year history
-
Ken Griffin,
Chicago -- founder and CEO of Citadel; on board of directors of
the Chicago Public Education Fund; member of the World Economic
Forum, G100, The Economic Club of Chicago and The Commercial
Club of Chicago
-
Greta Huzienga,
Chicago -- former Chicago public high school teacher and early
childhood educator; development adviser to the Academy for
Global Citizenship
-
Warren Holtsberg,
Wayne -- a director of MVC Capital; board member of the Illinois
Venture Capital Association, the Chicagoland Entrepreneurship
Center and Illinois Ventures, the venture capital arm for the
University of Illinois
-
Edgar "Ned"
Jannotta Sr., Winnetka -- chairman emeritus of William Blair;
past president of The Economic Club of Chicago and The
Commercial Club of Chicago
-
James Kenny,
Glenview -- former U.S. ambassador to Ireland; former owner of
Kenny Construction; served on transition team for former
Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar and President George W. Bush
-
Robert E. King,
Burr Ridge -- chairman of Rasmussen; former chairman and CEO of
Deltak; board member of Benedictine University, The Academy of
Urban School Leadership, the African Wildlife Foundation and
Northwestern Wildcat Athletics Venture Enterprise Fund; member
of The Commercial Club of Chicago
-
Peter Mason,
Hinsdale -- founding member of Freeborn & Peters and chairman of
the Executive Committee
-
Ed McMillan,
Greenville -- former president and CEO of Purina Mills; member
of the board of trustees of the University of Illinois; chairman
of University of Illinois Research Park
-
Jack Miller,
Bannockburn -- founder of Quill Office Supplies and The Jack
Miller Center for Teaching America's Founding Principles and
History
-
Charles Potter,
Lake Forest -- president and CEO of Max McGraw Wildlife
Foundation; founder and chairman of Great Outdoors; former vice
president of the North American Wildlife Foundation; chairman of
the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission
-
Jack Roeser,
Carpentersville -- founder of Otto Engineering; named Hi-Tech
Entrepreneur of the Year; built 500-person high-tech
manufacturing business from a $5,000 start; public school reform
activist
-
E. Mitchell Roob
Jr., Indianapolis, Ind., native of Northbrook -- former Indiana
secretary of commerce and Indiana Economic Development Corp.
CEO, who led in bringing 55,000 new jobs and $8.1 billion in
investments to Indiana in his term
-
John Rowe, Chicago
-- former CEO of Exelon Corp.; chairman of Illinois Institute of
Technology
-
William H. Strong
-- co-chief executive for the Asia Pacific region of Morgan
Stanley; led economic mission to Iraq in 2008 for the Department
of Defense; past member of the Board of Visitors of the United
States Military Academy at West Point; Illinois finance chairman
for the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain in 2008;
served as one of two national co-chairmen for the 2012
presidential campaign of Gov. Tim Pawlenty
-
David Weinberg,
Winnetka -- chairman and CEO of Judd Enterprises
-
Miles White, Lake Forest -- chairman
and CEO of Abbott Laboratories; chairman of The Commercial Club
of Chicago; a director for McDonald's, Caterpillar and
Northwestern Memorial Hospital; and former chairman of the
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
[Text from file received from the
Bruce Rauner
Exploratory Committee]
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