Pritzker touts tax rebates in face of high gas prices that could fuel ‘red wave’

[June 18, 2022]  By Greg Bishop | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – While there’s still a party primary to get through in Illinois, some see a possible wave of Republican victories across the country come November.

Jesse Reising, one of four Republican candidates in the newly drawn 13th Congressional District GOP primary on June 28, is confident the GOP will do very well in November.

“The Republican party is in a great place,” Reising told the media at a campaign stop in Riveron. “We’re expecting a big red wave come November and we feel very good about our chances in both June and November.”

The other candidates in the 13th Congressional District primary election for Republicans are Terry Martin, Matt Hausman and Regan Deering. The two Democrats running in that party’s primary for the 13th Congressional District are Nikki Budzinski and David Palmer.

Democratic incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who faces Beverly Miles in the June 28 Democratic primary, didn’t want to speculate if there would be a so-called “red wave.”

“There are some things that you don’t know whether they’re going to happen,” Pritzker said. “All I know is I’ve been fighting for four years to lift up working families."

Observers say with Democrats in control of Congress and the White House, record inflation, high fuel prices and other issues may draw voters to support Republicans.

Pritzker touted tax rebates approved for the budget that starts next month.

“Being able to put hundreds of dollars, even thousands of dollars, back into people’s pockets so that they could better afford those things, very important,” Pritzker said. “That’s why the legislature worked so hard on this budget to get that done.”

Republicans at the statehouse criticized the tax rebates as election-year gimmicks.

A recent report by the Illinois Policy Institute found the rise of inflation is outpacing wage increases in Illinois, with the average Illinoisan taking a pay cut of around $2,200. A separate report found the tax rebates Pritzker touts will give the average Illinois family around $556.

While he’s not running for a seat in Springfield, Reising said Democrats are failing to keep businesses in the state as is evident with Caterpillar’s headquarters moving.

“It’s no surprise because we just saw Boeing leave as well and so if we don’t make our communities safer and lessen the burden on businesses in this state, then we’re going to see this kind of trend,” Reising said.

The primary is June 28.

Greg Bishop reports on Illinois government and other issues for The Center Square. Bishop has years of award-winning broadcast experience and hosts the WMAY Morning Newsfeed out of Springfield.