Rauner Admits Belonging to $140,000 Wine Club

As Governor Pat Quinn begins what many are calling a campaign stunt – living on minimum wage for a week – his opponent, Republican Bruce Rauner, admits he is a member of a wine club that costs $140,000 to join.

A picture in Sunday’s Chicago Tribune showing Rauner and Mayor Rahm Emanuel together in Montana four years ago shows Emanuel holding a bottle of wine from the Napa Valley Reserve, a private winery that Rauner refused to confirm to the Tribune that he was a member.

However NBC 5 asked Rauner today if he belongs to the wine club to which he said, “I have many investments, I’m a member of many clubs."

When asked if that's a yes, he confirmed, "Ah, yes.” Rauner said Emanuel’s visit to his 23,000-acre Montana ranch “is old news. We’ve worked together for years.” 

The Quinn campaign and other media outlets quickly pounced. The Washington Post story published a story titled “Bruce Rauner spends more on wine than average Illinois households spend on everything.”

At the same time, former Congressman Joe Walsh tweeted: “You know Quinn is in trouble when the national media is attacking Rauner’s wealth.”

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