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Former Gov. Jim Edgar: Republicans Must Be United

Jim Edgar
Hannah Meisel/WUIS

  Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar says he's all in for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner.

Edgar says the Democratic agenda offers more of the same policies voters have seen for the past decade. He even equated Gov. Pat Quinn's tenure to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is now serving a 14-year term in federal prison.

"The Blagojevich-Quinn governorship has been a disaster for Illinois," he said. "We have an opportunity this November to end one-party rule by electing Bruce Rauner the governor of Illinois."

Edgar made the comments at Republican Day at the Illinois state fair Thursday.

Edgar had supported his former chief of staff, Kirk Dillard, in the March primary but he says Republicans must be united to fight Democratic incumbencies.

Edgar left office in 1999 with high approval ratings. He is viewed as a moderate Republican.

Hannah covers state government and politics for Capitol News Illinois. She's been dedicated to the statehouse beat since interning at NPR Illinois in 2014, with subsequent stops at WILL-AM/FM, Law360, Capitol Fax and The Daily Line before returning to NPR Illinois in 2020 and moving to CNI in 2023.
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