Rauner Vows To Keep Fighting For Term Limits Referendum

The Republican candidate for Illinois says he's not daunted by the state Supreme Court's decision not to review a lower court ruling barring a question on lawmaker term limits from appearing on November's ballot.

Chicago businessman Bruce Rauner was behind the ballot initiative. The decision means it will be very difficult to get the question on the ballot in time for the August 22nd ballot certification deadline.

"We hope to get the Supreme Court to review it now”, said Rauner on WGLT Radio’s Sound Ideas program. “They said that it needs to go through all the court levels below, so we're taking it to the appellate court next. Hopefully, we'll win there. If we don't we'll take it to the Supreme Court.”

Rauner says entrenched Springfield politicians are to blame for the court delay. But he says if they can’t the term limits question on this year’s ballot, they’ll keep trying.

"If it's blocked by the politicians this cycle, we'll get it on the ballot eventually so the voters can decide on this issue”, said Rauner. “They deserve the right to decide directly themselves."

The court this week denied the Committee for Legislative Reform and Term Limits' appeal of a Cook County circuit court ruling. That court had decided the measure didn't meet constitutional requirements and ruled the petitions invalid. 

Rauner says his group secured more than twice the number of signatures necessary.