J.B. Pritzker joins Illinois governor race, facing big Democratic field to take on Rauner

Billionaire entrepreneur and investor J.B. Pritzker launched his bid for the Democratic nomination for governor Thursday, framing his candidacy as one about progressive values rather than personal fortune and calling Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner a "failure."

On the first day of Pritzker's candidacy, the Rauner-backed state Republican Party also appeared to try to frame a potential 2018 matchup between the two. Though Rauner has said he could support a tax hike if Democrats approve his political and economic agenda, the Republican Party called Pritzker a tax-raising "lapdog" for powerful Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The early sparring between Pritzker and Rauner underscored the high stakes and likely high cost of the upcoming race for governor. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune, has vowed to spend heavily out of his own pocket. Rauner, a wealthy former equity investor, spent tens of millions on his 2014 campaign and in December put $50 million into his re-election.

At the same time, Pritzker's fellow Democratic primary contender Chris Kennedy, a Chicago businessman from the iconic political family, said his campaign had raised $1 million since making his bid official in early February. Kennedy also put $250,100 into his own campaign last month, a move that eliminated caps on the size of campaign contributions the candidates can collect.

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