Bruce Rauner '78 joins a number of Dartmouth alumni seeking higher political office with his campaign for Illinois governor. Rauner, a businessman, announced his campaign on June 5. If elected, Rauner would be the state's first Republican governor since 2003. Rauner will face state Sen. Bill Brady, state Sen. Kirk Dillard and state treasurer Dan Rutherford in the March 2014 primary.
Rauner's platform focuses on jobs, education reform and pension reform. Illinois' unemployment rate the highest in the Midwest and second highest in the United States and the state's pension crisis inspired Rauner's gubernatorial bid.
"He wasn't going to stand by as politicians allowed the downward spiral to continue," said Mike Schrimpf, the campaign's director of communications. "He decided to run for governor."
Rauner aims to lower the state's unemployment rate by loosening tax and regulatory systems, a move that he believes would make Illinois a more attractive option for individuals looking to start new businesses. In campaign materials Rauner said he would overhaul Illinois' tax code and the workers' compensation system, create "right-to-work" zones and place unionization decisions in the hands of local communities.
Another major component of Rauner's platform is his plan to address what his website refers to as "the worst pension crisis in America."
His status as a political outsider means that pre-existing interests, such as unions, will not influence him, according to Schrimpf.
Rauner's education plan focuses mostly on lower education. He would increase direct education funding to schools, give parents more options for where to send their children for school and increase teacher accountability. Rauner has worked closely with Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel on education issues in the past as an advisor.
"The mayor controls the public school, and Bruce is the leading education reform proponent in Chicago," Schrimpf said.
Democrats have criticized Rauner's lack of political experience, while Republicans point to his close relationship with Emanuel as cause for concern.
Members of both parties have alleged that Rauner used his personal connections to attain his daughter's admission to Walter Peyton College Prep High School, one of Chicago's best public schools. Many Chicago newspapers as well as the Huffington Post reported that Rauner asked then-chief of Chicago Public Schools, who is now the U.S. education secretary, to arrange for his daughter's acceptance. Rauner has denied the allegations.
Rauner has a track record of bipartisan ties. In addition to his relationship with Emanuel, Rauner has donated money to both Democratic and Republican campaigns.
According to the Federal Election Commission, Rauner has given money to politicians including Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Mo.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), as well as both the Democratic and Republican National Committees.
In addition to his political and business career, Rauner is well-known for his philanthropy, especially at the College. Two buildings that Rauner funded in part Rauner Special Collections Library, previously known as Webster Hall, and Rauner Hall in the McLaughlin cluster bear his name. He also endowed the Bruce V. Rauner Professor of Economics position, currently held by David Blanchflower.
During his time at the College, Rauner played varsity football and was a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity. Raymond J. Boniface '78 said Rauner was a likable student with a positive reputation.
"He was very much a down-to-earth fellow, an easy guy to be around," Boniface said. "He was fun in a good way."
After Rauner graduated summa cum laude from the College with a degree in economics, he received an MBA from Harvard Business School and chaired GTCR, a private equity firm in Chicago which he helped found, until he retired in October 2012.
If Rauner wins the governor seat, he will join several other College alums who hold public office, such as Sen. Rob Portman '78 (R-Ohio), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand '88 (D-N.Y.), Sen. Angus King '66 (Ind.-Maine) and former Treasury Secretaries Henry Paulson '68 and Timothy Geithner '83.
"If he wins, he'll be one more in a list of alums that all of us can be really proud [of]," Alumni Council president Mark Davis '81 Tu'84 said.
