A television commercial? now airing for Gov. Bruce Rauner touts the school funding reform legislation he signed into law in August. But the campaign spot is somewhat misleading.
The ad begins: “It's been called nothing short of a miracle.”
If you pause the tape and look closely, you’ll see that line is credited to a story published online Sept. 7 by NPR Illinois.
But that quote, from a longtime education advocate, wasn't about Rauner. It was in reference to the years-long efforts of State Sen. Andy Manar, the downstate Democrat who sponsored the school funding reform bill.
Rauner tried to kill Manar's measure with an amendatory veto, but no one voted for Rauner's plan. The governor ultimately signed a compromise bill, also sponsored by Manar, that included a tax break for private school scholarship donors.
The ad touts that part too, over video that appears to show college graduates tossing their caps in the air. That's also a bit misleading, since the tax breaks apply only to private grade schools, not universities.
The ad ends with the words "Illinois is worth fighting for," which has been the slogan of Congresswoman Cheri Bustos' campaign since 2014.
We sent several emails to the Rauner campaign seeking clarification, but received no response.
