Back-to-back bond-rating upgrades for Illinois boost Gov. Pritzker's re-election bid

Illinois just received a new financial accolade from a top bond-rating agency, giving Gov. JB Pritzker a strategic boost in a fall campaign where Republican challenger Darren Bailey has made the state’s fiscal management under Pritzker a central issue. S&P Global Ratings raised Illinois' general obligation bond rating from an “A-” to an “A,” marking the 12th bond-rating upgrade for the state since Pritzker took office in 2019. S&P cited the passage of consecutive balanced state budgets and the…