CHICAGO – A Chicago alderman intends to run for governor in 2018 with a platform of higher taxes, universal childcare, equitable public school funding and criminal justice reform he announced Tuesday. He also is a strong supporter of requiring gun owners carry liability insurance.
But first, Ald. Ameya Pawar, 36, of Chicago's 47th Ward may need to beat back the likes of wealthy connected Democrat opponents also considering a run, such as businessmen J.B. Pritzker and Chris Kennedy or even politically-connected Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17).
Pawar boasted a campaign chest of $50,000 when he announced his intentions. He shrugged off the dramatic difference between his available funds and Governor Rauner's $50 million – with limitless financial resources.
A discussion of Rauner's finances led Pawar to make snide comments comparing the governor to President-elect Donald Trump.
DNAInfo.com writes:
Pawar has been open about his dismay over the election of Donald Trump as president, but Rauner, he said, is the "original Donald Trump."
The president-elect "might be a more bombastic and offensive politician when you look at rhetoric, but from actions" Trump and Rauner are cut from the same cloth, said Pawar.
"People like Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump like to tell us how evil government is … how different we all are," he said.
"I'd like to remind them it's government and people together … that sent a man to the moon," said Pawar. "Government, in my mind, is aspirational. We can achieve great things when we come together."
Pawar's announcement stirred Illinois Republican Party spokesman Steven Yaffe to comment.
“Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar is the very definition of an out-of-touch, tax-hiking politician just like Mike Madigan," Yaffe said. "While job-crushing tax increases without reform has caused an exodus from Illinois, Pawar doubled down on the Madigan Chicago agenda, supporting higher income taxes, higher property taxes, and even a tax on our drinking water.”
