To many Illinois political watchers, Gov. Bruce Rauner is a political powerhouse when it comes to campaign finance. He’s spent millions and leveraged millions more to benefit not only his own candidacy, but those of others – mostly Republicans.

At a stop in southern Illinois Friday, he told reporters he was not interested in local politics. When asked at the state fair later Friday how that squares with the amount of money he’s moved around, Rauner said it’s just his way of participating in democracy.

“Democracy is a function of a good political process with integrity and competition and real choices,” he said. “That’s what I am working to try to generate in Illinois.”

Rauner’s “word of the week” has been machine. He has been using that word to describe his political enemies and, at least on the political days of the Illinois State Fair, dropped direct references to the chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois, House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago).

The “machine,” a political term dating even before the days of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, refers to what Rauner calls a system “rigged” to favor incumbents and other insiders — some of whom, Rauner has to admit, include his fellow Republicans.

“I’ll say this: There are many good people in public service. There are many good Democrats in public service, there are many good Republicans in public service,” said Rauner. “This is not a partisan issue. It’s not a partisan issue; it’s a good-government issue. Term limits will impact everybody.”

Term limits and changing the way Illinois does its decennial redistricting are the top-of-mind topics for Rauner in 2016, looking ahead to 2018.