State health workers preparing ad push to counter Rauner blitz

SPRINGFIELD — A health care union is launching its own ad push in an attempt to counter Gov. Bruce Rauner’s statewide TV ad launch.

The ad, called “Wrong Priorities,” features first-person testimonials from family of the elderly and disabled, who say their quality of life — and actual lifespan — improves if they’re able to stay at home.

“Governor Rauner’s dangerous budget cuts target Illinois’ most vulnerable,” a narrator says on the ad.

The ad, on social media and online media, is part of a larger paid effort that could include a cable and TV ad buy, according to the union.

The union represents thousands of members, including nurses, LPNs, doctors, lab technicians, nursing home workers and home care workers.

“Bruce Rauner’s slick new ad campaign, bankrolled by his personal wealth and the same billionaires who bought him the governor’s mansion, dishonestly fails to mention that only certain populations — low-income workers, seniors, kids, people with disabilities and aging veterans — are the ones bearing the brunt of his self-proclaimed toughness. Meanwhile, Rauner still refuses to demand big corporations and the super-wealthy pay their fair share,” SEIU Healthcare Illinois Vice President James Muhammad said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Rauner’s Turnaround Illinois independent expenditure committee launched a statewide TV ad campaign that targeted Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and Democrats. Rauner has threatened to slash a series of services if Democrats fail to approve portions of his turnaround agenda, including workers’ compensation reform and a property tax freeze.