Chicago-based billionaire J.B. Pritzker has already sunk $70 million of his own money into his gubernatorial campaign, and incumbent Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has spent $50 million himself. That spending will only increase as the Democratic and Republican party nominees, respectively, now look toward the general election later this year.
But how much of the candidates’ resources will be directed downstate is yet to be seen, said Belleville News-Democrat reporter Joe Bustos. He joined St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh for a discussion of this week’s primary election results.
"J.B. Pritzker has opened up a field office in Belleville, so you wonder if they’re going to be giving a lot of attention downstate," Bustos said. "Cook County is a [stronghold] for the Democratic Party, so a lot of the Republican support is going to have be downstate. So we’ll see if they come down here, how often they come down here."
In addition to the Illinois governor race, Bustos offered his take on several other political developments and surprises in the Metro East, including what’s expected to be a tight race in Illinois’ 12th Congressional District between Republican incumbent Mike Bost and St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly.
Catch up on the full conversation:
