Rauner goes on the attack in third debate with Pritzker

Governor Bruce Rauner was on the attack once again in the final Chicago-area debate between him and challenger JB Pritzker.

He slammed Pritzker's alleged cheating on property taxes and the Democrat's proposal to raise the Illinois income tax on upper income earners.

Gov. Rauner pounced when Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell cited a sad statistic about recent Illinois governors.

“Unfortunately, four of the last nine governors have gone to prison in Illinois for illegal acts…and we could have number five right here!” Rauner said about Pritzker.

Throughout the debate, Republican Rauner relentlessly attacked democrat pritzker as a tax cheat or worse, pointing to a Cook County inspector general's finding that Pritzker reduced his property taxes by using a "scheme to defraud" -- which he denies.

They also clashed on policy. Rauner hopes the U.S. Supreme court's new conservative majority will allow local governments in Illinois to enact right-to-work laws, arguing it will bring thousands of new jobs. Democrats label those laws anti-union.

Rauner: “I’m fighting for more manufacturing jobs and those jobs can become union jobs and I want more union jobs in Illinois.”

Pritzker (laughs): “That is just hogwash. The governor has been fighting against unions and trying to destroy unions from day one of his governorship. He brought with him this right wing Koch brothers agenda.”

The final Illinois governor's debate is scheduled for Thursday in downstate Quincy – which is the site of a state-run veterans’ home where more than a dozen died and nearly 70 were sickened by legionnaires disease.