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Dillard Picks Up Teachers' Endorsement; Rauner Still Pouring Own Money Into Race

Kirk Dillard
Brian Mackey/WUIS

Republican gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard got the endorsement of a retired group of teachers Wednesday. But he’s still lagging front-runner Bruce Rauner, who continues to tap his significant personal fortune for his campaign.

The Illinois Retired Teachers Association has nearly 36,000 members. President Bob Pinkerton says this is the first time the group has endorsed a candidate for governor.

He praised Dillard’s vote against a massive pension overhaul intended to cut benefits for teachers and state employees.

"We respect Sen. Dillard, and know he will honor his word and uphold his end of the bargain, as we teachers upheld ours," Pinkerton says.

Bruce Rauner
Credit Amanda Vinicky/WUIS
Private equity investor Bruce Rauner this week dropped another $1.3 million of his own money into his campaign for governor.

Dillard is playing up this endorsement, as he did with one from one of the state’s biggest teachers unions. But he’s still not advertising on TV, which even he acknowledges is a crucial way of reaching voters.

"It just depends on the money," Dillard says. "You know, I'd love to go on ‘The Today Show’ several times an hour, like the other guy."

That other guy would be private equity investor Bruce Rauner. Earlier this week he dropped another $1.3 million of his vast personal wealth into his campaign account.

That brings his total self-funding alone to more than $5 million.

Brian Mackey formerly reported on state government and politics for NPR Illinois and a dozen other public radio stations across the state. Before that, he was A&E editor at The State Journal-Register and Statehouse bureau chief for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.
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