Andy McKenna and Matt Muprhy tour West-Central Illinois
1/29/2010
The only "team" of candidates running for Illinois governor and lieutenant governor campaigned in Western Illinois Thursday.
Andy McKenna is the former state Republican chairman seeking the top spot and state Sen. Matt Murphy is his chosen running mate.
"This is so unusual for us to be in the same place," Murphy said as the two candidates prepared for a campaign event at The Abbey.
McKenna has surged in statewide voter polls in the past 10 days and is leading or in second place in the six-way race. McKenna said that's because he and Murphy are "talking about what voters care about."
A position paper used by the team calls for handling the state's record budget deficit by cutting $1.57 billion from health care programs, freezing spending, reforming the pension system and growing the economy by making it easier for businesses to create jobs.
"We'll balance spending immediately, but it will take maybe three or four years to pay down" what the state owes, McKenna said.
He has pledged not to raise taxes and said other Republican candidates have left themselves wiggle room to approve tax hikes.
McKenna said his years in private business have helped prepare him to be governor. As president of Schwarz Supply Source he helped the company grow from 30 employees to 300.
"I believe we're not creating enough new small businesses ... and there's things you can do as a governor to change that to stimulate new venture development here in Illinois," McKenna said.
McKenna said the current administration and Legislature has failed to make substantial ethics reform in more than a year since Rod Blagojevich was ousted from the governor's office. McKenna wants to make the lieutenant governor the chief compliance officer on ethics reforms.
Murphy said political corruption angers and frustrates Illinois residents. He said the huge budget deficit and high unemployment add to the problem and lead to fear among voters.
"People say ... we've made cuts at home and when is the government ever going to do that? Who's sticking up for us?" Murphy said.
He believes that kind of voter reaction was clear in the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts where Republican Scott Brown won a race over the chosen Democratic candidate.
After spending four years as the Illinois Republican Party chairman, McKenna now is asking voters to turn out for Tuesday's election. He said making the right decisions in the voting booth can make Illinois a high growth state again.
Doug Wilson
Quincy Herald Whig
