Bottom Lines are our most current take on a race.

ILLINOIS GOVERNOR:

There is little doubt that Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is the most vulnerable incumbent up for re-election next year. Not only is he a Republican in a very blue state, but Rauner also spent most of the first three years of his term locked in an ugly battle with House Speaker Mike Madigan and the Democratic-controlled state legislature over the budget. Rauner eked out a 51-percent to 49-percent primary victory over state Rep. Jeanne Ives. Too much is being read into this result as it changes nothing. An inanimate object likely would have gotten 40 percent against an incumbent who rarely adheres to Republican orthodoxy and doesn’t support President Trump. Ives’ late surge in the primary can be attributed largely to a multi-million dollar contribution from conservative donor Robert Uihlein and Democratic Governors Association-sponsored television ads touting Ives as a true conservative in the primary. Billionaire J.B. Pritzker won the Democratic nomination with 45 percent in a seven-way field. State Sen. Dan Biss got 27 percent and businessman

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