Conservative Brady to appeal on budget issues
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| Bill Brady said he can find common ground with swing voters despite his firm opposition to abortion. (AP photo) |
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CHICAGO — Republican Bill Brady insisted Monday that focusing his campaign for governor on cutting taxes and spending will allow him to connect with voters who otherwise disagree with many of his conservative views.
As he began a statewide tour to celebrate his party's nomination, Brady said he can find common ground with swing voters despite his firm opposition to abortion and his support for reducing anti-discrimination protections for gays and lesbians.
"You'd be surprised (by) the number of people who come up to me and say 'Hey listen, you're pro-life, I'm pro-choice, but I'm going to support you because, A) you don't scare me and B) I know we need someone who can take a business approach to rebuilding Illinois,'" Brady told The Associated Press in a telephone interview before an eight-city flyaround.
Brady's trip celebrates his finally being declared the GOP nominee by the State Board of Elections last week, more than a month after the Feb. 2 primary. The Republican ticket had been in limbo because of a close race between Brady, a state senator from Bloomington, and state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale. Brady won the race by 193 votes out of more than 767,000 cast. He'll face Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in November.
A central theme of Brady's campaign is his insistence that Illinois can fix its overwhelming budget problems without an income tax increase. Quinn has sought a tax increase; he'll lay out his budget proposal for lawmakers Wednesday in Springfield.
Activists say Brady is deluding himself if he thinks voters who disagree with him on social issues will support him because of his economic plans.
"He is so far to the right on issues of reproductive choice that I do not believe that there is any way that he will gain the support of pro-choice women," said Beth Kanter, senior vice president of external affairs at Planned Parenthood of Illinois.
Brady opposes abortion even in cases of pregnancy stemming from rape or incest.
He also opposes same-sex marriage and civil unions for gays and lesbians, as well as laws protecting them from housing discrimination.
"He fundamentally does not believe that gay and lesbian Illinoisans should be treated fairly and equitably under the law and I don't see how almost anybody can put that aside no matter what his policies are in other areas," said Rick Garcia, political director for Equality Illinois.
Quinn is a liberal on social issues and supports abortion rights and same-sex civil unions. He already has sought to portray Brady as out of step with Illinois voters and highlighted the "Grand Canyon" of differences between him and his opponent.
"Senator Brady would rather spend time pushing his moral agenda instead of promoting economic activity and creating new jobs," Quinn spokeswoman Mica Matsoff said in a statement.
Brady embraces his conservative label — "I am what I am," he says — and contends what will matter most to voters is that he is a fiscal conservative opposed to raising the income tax.
"Let's find common ground, let's listen and learn from each other and make this state a better place," Brady said.
Brady said he would follow his beliefs when deciding whether to sign or veto bills sent to him by the Legislature. But the state's economic problems mean he won't have the "luxury" of concentrating on his conservative social views if he becomes governor, he said.
Former Republican Gov. Jim Thompson said Brady shouldn't retreat from his personal beliefs on social issues — doing so, he said, would open up Brady to accusations of flip-flopping — but advised him to focus on other things.
"You can only talk about so many things in the campaign," Thompson said, "and if I were him I would talk about economic issues."
