Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner released his ideas for a plan to fix the state's out-of-whack budget July 17. In it, Rauner advocated for letting the income tax increase expire as scheduled in 2015 and taxing some new things, such as advertising. Capitol Fax/We Ask America conducted a poll the same day, asking Illinois voters if the plan made them more or less likely to want to vote for him.
Rich Miller of Capitol Fax said the poll found that 53 percent of poll takers said they'd be more likely to vote for Rauner, while 32 percent said they'd be less likely to vote for him and 15 percent said it made no difference to them.
The poll also found that 56 percent of women said the plan made them more likely to vote for Rauner and 47 percent of men said it made them more likely to want to vote for him. The biggest bump in support after the plan was released came in the counties surrounding Cook County. The rest of the results tell a story of who might be likely to vote for Rauner and what they might want to see in a gubernatorial candidate.
In Chicago, economic and job concerns are also taking center stage, but disagreement on the best way to make it happen abounds. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and an advisory board recommended to the city council that the city's minimum wage should be increased to $13 an hour (from its current $8.25) by 2018. Proponents say it would provide the city's hard-working residents with a living wage, while opponents, such as State Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, say raising the minimum wage will facilitate a reduction in jobs in the city.