Dupage Policy Journal

Republican gubernatorial candidate Gary Rabine was among the main attractions at the recent Naperville Jaycees Last Fling Labor Day Day Parade.

“Thank you to everyone who came out to walk with me,” Rabine later posted on Twitter. “We’re paving the way to stay in Illinois & are going to make a difference in this state.”

Throughout his campaign, Rabine has called out Gov. J.B. Pritzker on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, including his push for students to be vaccinated before returning to school for in-person learning this fall.     

“Stop bullying Illinois children into getting an experimental vaccine,” Rabine recently posted on Facebook. “I’m calling on JB Pritzker to immediately issue an executive order banning K-12 school districts, private schools and colleges in Illinois from mandating and requiring students to get a COVID vaccine.”

Rabine’s latest demands on the COVID front come after Northern Illinois University recently joined the ranks of at least nine state universities now requiring all students be vaccinated before the start of the upcoming fall semester. The Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Community College Board also recently advised that students be mandated to receive COVID shots.

Part of Rabine’s outrage stems from the fact that of the three COVID vaccinations currently on the market only the Pfizer shot is approved by the FDA for use in children ages 12-18.

Unvaccinated students will be required to wear face coverings and submit to on-campus testing that includes multiple checks each week.

Rabine said the mandates put forth by the governor speaks to how out of touch he is with the people he’s supposed to be representing.

“I’m running because I can see my family, my friends’ families and so many others that just want to get out of here,” he recently told IllinoisChannelTV. “It bothers me so bad. I’ve been in business for 40 years, the last 20 building businesses as a leader, understanding what great leadership looks like and it’s not what we see in our governor and our mayor of Chicago. I’m confident we need a leadership mindset that understands how to build leaders and doesn’t rule like royalty.”

A longtime business owner, Rabine has also made job creation and solving tax concerns central elements of his platform.

In promising to deliver in every way, Rabine recently pointed to the jobs done by Iowa Gov. Kimberly Kay Raynolds' and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb as displaying true leadership.

“Smart governors know that a strong Illinois in Midwest, makes them strong also,” Rabine said. “Is Kim Raynolds perfect? No. But she does a great job. She really cares about her customer. Is Eric Holcomb perfect? No. But he really cares. I can see it in his eyes, he cares. So that’s what I am going to be. I will be a governor who will deliver unbelievable world-class service to my customers. We’re going to fight the high cost of living, high taxes. We’re going to fight for great culture in our families. And we’re going to be paving the way to stay.”

Rabine believes being a governor calls for leadership.

“You’ve got to fix problems,” he said. “That’s what great leaders do. I guarantee you I don’t sleep when I have financial problems in my businesses. I didn’t sleep when my wife was diagnosed with brain cancer. I don’t sleep in critical situations and I won’t sleep until that problem’s solved.”