The republican challenger for Illinois governor Bruce Raunermade a campaign stop in Macomb Friday afternoon.
This is a wonderful community, a great location with great people.
Rauner says Illinois is failing its higher education system by cutting state funding which makes colleges raise tuition rates.
Western Illinois University has experienced severe cuts in state funding and a decline in enrollment as students find more affordable options out of state.
Rauner says that needs to stop.
“We should increase state support for education," Rauner said. "We should also make sure our state university system is efficient and we don’t spend too much money on overhead and bureaucracy. If we do those two things we could keep our tuition affordable so our families can keep their kids in Illinois and we can have word class education here. I’ll make that a big priority.”
That, Rauner says, can be accomplished by cutting out wasteful spending while keeping income and property taxes low.
"This is a wonderful community, a great location with great people," Rauner said. "With the university system this area should be economically vibrant and thriving. I will make sure that that happens."
The McDonough County Republicans gave Rauner a $10,000 check for his campaign during his visit to Magnolia's on the square.
Rauner also made campaign stops in Rushville, Monmouth and Galesburg on Friday.
