He says he’s been there “many times,” but today was Governor-elect Bruce Rauner’s first visit to the Obama White House.
Rauner spent the day in briefings, lunch with Vice President Joe Biden and a meeting with President Barack Obama in the oval office.
Rauner is one of seven newly elected governors visiting Washington these past two days. The presidential briefing focused on education, transportation and the Affordable Care Act.
As they left the White House, Rauner said “we’ve got to solve problems on a bi-partisan basis, our states are facing significant challenges, we won’t solve them, if we don’t do it in a bi-partisan way.”
Rauner was asked about being the incoming governor of Obama’s home state, and he noted “the good news for all of us is we’ve got close working relationships."
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"Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and I have worked together for years in the city of Chicago to improve public schools, we’re close personal friends. I had dinner last night with Secretary Penny Pritzker, she’s a personal friend, I look forward to working closely with her.”
With so much attention focused on Rauner, the incoming governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker noted Rauner “had a bit of a home field advantage” to which Rauner laughed and said “that’s a good thing.”
