Pritzker is man of the hour at unity rally in Marion Democratic candidate for governor focuses on education, jobs

MARION - J.B. Pritzker, Democratic candidate for Illinois governor, was the guest of honor, the man of the hour, at a unity rally in Marion on Saturday. Dozens of party officials gathered at the local union hall for operating engineers to listen to the candidate as he wrapped up a three-day, 12-stop, 10-county "unite for the middle class" tour across the state.

Jay Robert "J.B." Pritzker, 53, a multimillionaire businessman, whose interests include the Hyatt Hotel chain, is from Chicago, but you would not have guessed that if you listened to him on Saturday. He sounded much more like a hometown son than a Chicago politician as he ticked off the issues that matter to many Southern Illinoisans.

"We have to invest in our people," he told the crowd. "We must invest in our public schools. We must provide quality preschool and child care. We must bring back vocational training in high schools and make sure that our children are not strapped with debt for the rest of their lives if they chose to go to college."

He called for change, as so many politicians do, but went on to describe the current governor's "hidden agenda" as destroying labor unions, lowering wages and making the workplace less safe.

"Gov. Bruce Rauner has been pursuing that agenda for more than three years," he said. "It's time for a change."

Pritzker certainly fired up the crowd, who interrupted his short speech with at least a half-dozen hearty rounds of applause as he touched on each issue.

"We must create jobs in this state. I hear that the most when I go around the state," he said. "We must invest in our infrastructure. We must help small business owners, providing technical assistance and support."

He ended his speech by reaching out to the Democratic officials and volunteers that filled the hall Saturday, asking them to double their efforts for the November election, but giving them plenty of credit for their work in the primary.

"I have to say thank you to all of you, for your leadership of the Democrat party in Illinois and your work in the primary," he said, citing statistics that he said showed 60 percent support for his candidacy in Southern Illinois compared to 53 percent in Cook and the collar counties.

"We - and I mean an army of more than 7,500 volunteers - knocked on more than 680,000 doors and made more than 2.4 million calls in the primary," he said. "That's how we're going to beat Bruce Rauner, like we always do it in Southern Illinois, on the ground.

"It only happens with your help," he said. "Are you ready for the fight?"

And the hall exploded with a resounding "yes," and a standing ovation for the man of the hour.