NEWTON, Ill. (AP) — A program to boost Illinois’ declining population of greater prairie chickens is becoming an election-year issue, with some turning the bird into a feathered symbol of government financial waste. And like any other discussion of spending in Illinois, the state’s poor financial health plays a leading role.

State Sen. Bill Mitchell, a Republican from Forsyth, has complained about what he sees as the absurdity of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources flying prairie chickens from Kansas. And last week, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner used a crate of chickens — they weren’t prairie chickens, but domestic hens — as a prop to complain about spending.