Why would a sane billionaire spend his fortune to lead the Illinois asylum?

Election season is upon us, and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s opening salvo was his “Thanks, Mike” ad. The familiar refrain featured governors of neighboring states thanking Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan for our state’s dysfunction driving jobs to those neighboring states.

Compare that to the other billionaire with little political experience wanting to lead our state, Democrat J.B. Pritzker. His ad features him discussing how a Hyatt Hotel heir and venture capitalist has empathy for the little guy because his father died when he was little and his mother was an alcoholic.

This is shaping up to be the most expensive governor’s race in history, projected to surpass the $280 million spent in the 2010 California governor’s race. They already spent $30 million this year without really trying.

Makes you question their sanity, wanting to spend millions of their own money to be captain of the S.S. Titanically Flawed.

Makes you also question why folks go into politics. Are they motivated by public service, the desire to make their community better? Are they motivated by power or the opportunity to cash in on influence after their terms?

Watching for evidence of motives and investigating candidates’ characters is the responsibility of every voter.

The exodus from Springfield presents opportunities for change. The fresh faces seeking local elected office and judgeships are encouraging.

Serving others is always our highest calling, so thanks to those willing to put themselves out there to give us a choice. We, too, need to serve others by ensuring the choices we make in the coming elections are well researched and not just impressions formed by social media and ads.

This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Why would a sane billionaire spend his fortune to lead the Illinois asylum?."