Republican Bruce Rauner campaigned on his ability to spur job creation in Illinois. He'll get a head start -- of sorts -- choosing hundreds of new state employees.
To the victor go the spoils, and in state government, that means jobs.
While a governor is boss of all state employees, he doesn't get to choose most of them (the majority of workers stay on no matter who is in charge; politics are supposed to stay out of hiring).
But a governor does get to choose a Cabinet, top aides and middle managers.
As Rauner is the first Republican governor in a dozen years, there's plenty of jockeying.
"Our goal is to assembly the most talented team of individuals who have ever turned around a state government,” he said.
So far, Rauner has announced one major hire - one of his top campaign advisors will be Chief of Staff. He says he has not yet talked with any Republican legislators about moving over to the executive branch. He says he has not asked any Republican legislators to join his team.
