Republican congressional candidate Jeanne Ives denied claims from an ex-Illinois governor she is a fringe right-winger not to be taken seriously.
In response to ex-Gov. Bruce Rauner’s comments, Ives, a former member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 42nd District who is running for the 6th congressional seat, defended her policy record.
Ives asserted that it was necessary to reach out to Democratic lawmakers for certain legislation to pass.
“It took Democrats to come on board to pass the legislation on College of DuPage reform, which became the model for higher education reform,” she said in an Aug. 2 interview with WLFD-TV which was posted to her YouTube channel. “In fact, Democrats picked up my bill to help me pass the network advocacy bill that helped provide health care access around the state. These are issues that I care about. I always cared about policy, and I think people know that.”
Ives also criticized Rep. Sean Casten's (D-Downers Grove), her potential foe in the 2020 congressional election, policy agenda, stating “it’s not what the 6th district want.”
“People in the 6th district appreciate their private health insurance,” she said. “Sean Casten’s plan over time would incrementally destroy that as an option.”
An Army veteran, Ives will face former Illinois Lieutenant Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti in the Republican primary. Sanguinetti previously defeated Ives in the 2018 gubernatorial election as part of Rauner’s ticket.
The Republican primary winner would be running against Casten.
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