Illinois Governor Showdown: Rauner Touts Wife Diana; Pro-Quinn Ad Breathes Fire

With a week to go 'til Election Day, GOP Illinois governor candidate Bruce Rauner is spending more ad dollars on his wife, Diana.

Diana Rauner, a self-professed Democrat who's starred in a number of pro-Rauner TV spots, wears Republican red alongside her husband—sporting symbolic red-white-and-blue plaid—in a new campaign commercial featuring the couple. Since the super-rich venture capitalist-turned-aspiring governor won his party's March primary, he's trotted out Diana in an effort to snag the coveted female swing vote. Last week, the Chicago Tribune published a poll showing a surge in support from white suburban women, suggesting that Mrs. Rauner may have had some influence in swaying opinion among that segment of voters.

"We knew the false attacks would get ugly," declares Diana, with Bruce chiming in: "But Illinois is worth it."

"Bruce doesn't owe anybody anything, and that scares people in power," she continues, while he insists, "I'm not running because I want a political career. ... Democrat or Republican, I'll work with everyone to turn our state around."

Translation: "We're filthy freaking rich—and nobody can buy us!"

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Illinois Freedom PAC—the union-backed group supporting Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn—began running a blistering ad against Rauner that references NBC 5's recent investigation on the North Shore investor and his alleged bullying behavior toward a female CEO with whom he worked.

Venomous in tone, it paints Rauner as a chauvinist alpha jerk—nothing like the nice-seeming, reasonable, happily married guy featured in the video above.

When the going gets tough, go negative!

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