Prairie State Wire

Illinois Republican candidate for governor Gary Rabine is sounding the alarm about the state’s overall direction.

“I’ll tell you as a father, employer, business builder and Illinois native, our state foundation is crumbling, our jobs are leaving and our property taxes are the highest in America,” Rabine said in YouTube video. “We in Illinois see it every day, our homes, businesses, communities and safety are at an all-time low.”

In formally launching his campaign this month, Rabine squarely places the blame at the feet of Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“Our governor has failed us,” said the owner of Rabine Paving in Schaumburg. “Pritzker is a California trust fund billionaire; he does not build, he demolishes. He’s destroyed our state with some of the harshest shutdowns in America.

Rabine argues proof of the negative impact Pritzker’s actions have had are in the numbers, pointing to the more than 400,000 job losses the state suffered in 2020.

“Pritzker led us to the worst job losses in the history of Illinois, where 61% of our small retail businesses are closed and 71% of our bars and restaurants are closed and many will never reopen. That’s unacceptable.”

Boasting a record that spans 40 years as business builder, Rabine vowed to bring back the jobs he insists Pritzker lost.

“I will work with the selfless legislators to bring common sense reforms; I will support our police, and build the security of our streets,” he said. “I will improve our failing education system. My promise is this, Illinois is my home and I will never let our home collapse.”

Rabine said he learned the value of hard work from his father and began his paving business right out of high school