MARION, Ill. (WSIL) -- One of three Republican candidates for Illinois governor stumped in southern Illinois Wednesday morning.
McHenry County businessman Gary Rabine stopped at Veteran's Airport in Marion as part of a two-day statewide bus tour. Rabine spoke about his campaign slogan 'Paving the Way to Stay'.
Rabine says it means building safe communities, crushing property taxes and creating jobs. The northern Illinois native spoke with local residents and felt he could make a connection with them.
"I look at these communities in ¾ÅÓÎÌåÓý Illinois... We've got too many shuttered buildings, too many shuttered factories," Rabine said. "We need to incentivize... businesses to locate to these areas like we haven't in the past."
One of Rabine's goals is to bring 50,000 new jobs to the state. Rabine noted he's a member of the Republican Governor's Association and says his connections to GOP leaders across the country allow him to bring the best minds to fix the state.
"Not many of my competitors in Illinois have seen the country as I have," Rabine said. "I've seen the competitive nature of the states around us and the states around the country that are kicking our butt."
Illinois state Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville) and former state senator Paul Schimpf are the two other Republican hopefuls aiming for the GOP ticket in next year's governor's race. Rabine says the state needs new leadership and not a 'dictator' like Gov. JB Pritzker who imposes mask mandates.
"We can't be the state that mandates things because our dictator, our governor, is choosing to," Rabine said.
Rabine's tour made stops in Kankakee, Arthur, Mattoon, Effingham, Marion, and Chester. The second day of the tour takes them to Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair on Thursday.
