Illinois' next statewide election isn't until March and even then it'll be another two years before Governor Bruce Rauner has to run again. But already, he's airing commercials. They hit TV screens Tuesday morning.
On one of his first days as Governor, Rauner said he'd use his wealth to directly reach Illinois voters.
He's following through, with a 30-second TV ad that starts black and white, with a sinister narrator:
"Mike Madigan and the politicians he controls refuse to change..."
Then brightens when Rauner himself pops up:
"Change in Springfield isn't easy, but you didn't send me here to do what's easy."
Of course, reality is a whole lot more complex. Critics say the ad "masks reality."
It comes as Madigan and Rauner are locked in a budget stalemate.
The ad's paid for by a political action committee with only two donors: Rauner and Chicago real estate magnate Sam Zell.