Crisis creates opportunity.
Bruce Rauner
Success is all about persistence and doing the right thing for the long term.
I'm not the most patient person in the world. I am one of the most persistent people in the world.
I have said, on a number of occasions, that we could have a lower minimum wage or no minimum wage.
For many young people, the minimum wage is a stepping stone to higher employment levels.
If Republicans and Democrats commit to working together, we can reach a bipartisan, common-sense agreement to reverse Illinois' economic decline and set the stage for a bright economic future.
I am going to try to rip the economic guts out of Indiana. But we're going to do it methodically and aggressively.
We've talked through the fact that our family will be attacked. Our family will be dragged through the mud. My businesses that I've helped build and create will be attacked and dragged through the mud. That's politics. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about it or thinking about it.
Those who want low taxes and healthy job creation know that an unnecessary dollar going to these unions is a dollar that cannot reduce the tax burden on homeowners, small businesses, and job creators.
For every challenge we face - unemployment, poverty, crime, income growth, income inequality, productivity, competitiveness - a great education is a major component of the solution.
Voters want conflicting things. They want a lot of government spending, but they don't want higher taxes.
There are plenty of examples of very wealthy people who have run for office and failed, certainly in Illinois.
Given my venture capital background, I know the tech sector well.
I'm a big outdoorsman... I'm a big hunter. Avid fisherman. Hiker. Climber. Scuba diver. Skier. Love the outdoors.
The tax money belongs to the taxpayers. It doesn't belong to the bureaucracy. And government is not a welfare system.
We have to be bold, tough, and fundamentally change government because Springfield is broken.
The government union bosses are the most powerful politicians in Springfield.
I'm a lover of fairs and corn dogs.
Illinois will only get economically healthy if we stop focusing on growing minimum wages and start focusing on growing everyone's wages.
I'm a pretty disciplined investor and pretty disciplined buyer. I do my due diligence. I do my homework. I don't waste money.
Being a successful CEO, where I've driven a bottom line, assembled teams, driven results, that's a critical benefit to running the state government.
I don't like to pay lip service. I don't frankly like to talk about stuff.
I like to do things that get results. Results are all that matters.
The critical thing is that we have to reduce the tax burden.
I think we've got to be competitive here in Illinois. It's critical we're competitive. We're hurting our economy by having the minimum wage above the national. We've got to move back to the national.
My wife and I believe that there's nothing we do together as a community that's more important than education.
We have to reduce the tax burden, whether it's income tax for corporations or private individuals, and we should put a freeze on property taxes.
We must find a way to balance our tradition as a state welcoming of refugees while ensuring the safety and security of our citizens.
I've been very engaged in Illinois and Chicago civic activities for a long time; mostly around building businesses and helping entrepreneurs grow companies, but also around education and education reform.
Many of us have been touched by the magic of a great teacher. I know I have.
In democracy - and the good thing about democracy, big change does not happen quickly, and you need a buy-in and a convincing, a selling, an arm-twisting to get big change. And that takes time.
Those who value a strong safety net for our neediest citizens see that every extra dollar spent on these unions is a dollar that cannot go to help the sick, the elderly, and the vulnerable.
Frankly, I would never ask a supporter to bet big on me if I wouldn't bet big on myself. It wouldn't be fair.
I don't care what the headline is. I want the results.
Crisis creates leverage to change.
I want to do something that I'm proud of and that I can look back on with pride of accomplishment.
I am a gun owner and a hunter and a gun rights supporter.
I don't have a Rolls. I don't have a jet. That's not me.
These political consultants love business guys who've never been in politics to try and take advantage of them. I get that.
It takes someone with a unique background to stand up to the threat of a strike and win.
The people of Illinois sent me to Springfield to end the era of unbalanced budgets and runaway debt.
We have a moral duty to have an efficient government.
I have my strong views and opinions. I really want to transform Illinois government because this state is failing the taxpayers and the children.
Our government works should be treated fairly and appropriately; they should have a decent retirement, but not a gold-plated system where they can retire multimillionaires in their 50s.
A C.E.O.'s job is leadership, problem solving, and team building. I've done that my whole career.
Mitch Daniels in Indiana was the best governor in America for eight years. I've gone to Indianapolis to study with him.
I've completely lost faith in the Democratic Party to truly serve the disadvantaged.
Your average person in Illinois doesn't really even know what workers' comp is. The average person doesn't know really what's going on in the pension system. They know their taxes are too high; they know we've got a deficit. But getting that message out and helping the people of Illinois really understand what's going on, that's hard.
If yelling and threatening, intimidating and chanting solved problems, Illinois wouldn't have any problems. We're good at that stuff.
We've become a collectivist economy in Illinois. It's crushing us. And no problem is going to get fixed unless we bring more economic freedom into the state. And I believe that very passionately.
