CHICAGO (AP) — He has never been elected to anything, not even “student council in high school,” as he boasts. He has little patience for schmoozing. In dealing with people, he admits to being “pretty blunt” – more suited to running a large private equity firm, which Bruce Rauner did successfully for 30 years, than seeking votes for governor, which he intends to do in Illinois next year.But the traits that might once have made Rauner a bust in politics are beginning to look like possible assets for a Republican in Illinois and for underdogs elsewhere across the increasingly polarized American political landscape. With three quarters of the states now dominated by one party or the other — the highest ratio in recent history — candidates from the other side often seem to have little chance on election day. In this environment, a handful of outsiders are gambling that the time is ripe for challengers who can break out of normal party mold.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=203483