From the Kirk Dillard for Governor campaign…
(Lisle, IL) – Illinois Republican candidate for governor Kirk Dillard today challenged his GOP opponents on judgment and ethics, arguing he has the best record and the experience to make Illinois work again.
“With our state in crisis, we need someone who can exercise sound judgment,” Dillard told a City Club forum in Chicago. “It is vital that the voters closely evaluate every candidate to determine who has the ethical judgment and leadership necessary to turn our state around and balance the state budget without the need for a tax increase.”
“Unfortunately, we have candidates in our own party who lack ethical judgment,” Dillard continued. “I’m proud to say that as Chairman of the Du Page County Republican Party, my central committee never found me guilty of ethics violations. My opponent Andy McKenna, the ‘insider,’ cannot say the same.”
The Illinois Republican Party announced Friday that McKenna, the former state GOP Chairman, inappropriately used party funds while he was Chairman. McKenna admitted to the allegation.
Dillard also questioned the ethical judgment of Jim Ryan. During Ryan’s previous, unsuccessful run for governor, he received campaign contributions from convicted influence peddler Stuart Levine, including more than $150,000 after the election. A New York Times article recently referred to Levine as ‘the convicted swindler and Blagojevich buddy who was a former aggressive Ryan fund-raiser.”
“Unlike my opponent Jim Ryan, you won’t find any of my close friends or largest contributors sitting in a federal holding cell for a ‘pay to play’ scheme,” Dillard said, pointing out that Ryan’s ties to Levine clearly make him vulnerable if he becomes the GOP nominee. “I can just envision the Democrats salivating at the chance to run against Ryan in the fall,” Dillard said.
Dillard argued that Republicans must be determined to nominate a candidate who can win back the governor’s office in November, not someone who reminds voters of the Blagojevich/Quinn administration. “The stakes are too high. The judgment of our candidate for Governor should not be in question,” Dillard said.
Dillard also pointed to a recent discussion on WGN Radio in Chicago in which he was mentioned as the one Republican candidate who had the best chance of defeating Pat Quinn in November. “WGN understands the benefit of my experience, my record and my vision for Illinois.”
Dillard, first elected to the Illinois Senate in 1994, also served as former Governor Jim Edgar’s Chief of Staff, and has been endorsed by Edgar.