Primary candidates for governor, secretary of state make it official
The primary election season kicked into high gear Monday with Republican gubernatorial hopefuls filing petitions for what will be a bruising race and a number of candidates submitting paperwork to run for outgoing Secretary of State Jesse White's seat.
As of Monday, four GOP governor and lieutenant governor tickets had made it official: Xenia state Sen. Darren Bailey and conservative talk show host Stephanie Trussell of Lisle; Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and state Rep. Avery Bourne of Morrisonville; McHenry County businessman Gary Rabine and Palatine Township Highway Commissioner Aaron Del Mar; and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Monroe County and McHenry County Board member Carolyn Schofield.
"We're real candidates; we weren't recruited by the donor class or the consulting class. We're common-sense individuals and we want to make Illinois better," Del Mar said.
Bailey told voters "we want to create change."
"With God as our guide and you at our back and beside us, we are going to restore Illinois," he said via video outside the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Irvin and Schimpf both referenced former House Speaker Michael Madigan, who was indicted Wednesday on corruption charges, tying him to Gov. J.B. Pritzker in campaign releases.
"When given the opportunity to stand up to corruption, Gov. Pritzker failed," Schimpf said. "Our state has a long history of corruption, and we can see the effects in our communities."
GOP governor candidate and venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan, of downstate Petersburg, and his running mate, political strategist Kathleen Murphy of Warrenville were not filing petitions Monday, a campaign spokesman said,
Meanwhile, Pritzker fired up the Democratic base, addressing Carpenters Local 16 Union members at a Springfield event after he and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton filed. Both Democrats are Chicagoans.
"Who raised the minimum wage for workers in Illinois? Who protected voting rights and women's rights?" Pritzker asked as the crowd yelled back "Democrats!"
"When Democrats win, Illinois wins," he said.
Without mentioning Madigan by name, Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch noted that he leads the House now and issued a critique of former GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner. Illinois "was held hostage by an extreme special interest agenda (under Rauner), and they're trying to reboot that," Welch said.
A hot primary among both parties emerged for White's open seat, according to records filed Monday.
State Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington and former federal prosecutor John Milhiser of Springfield are seeking the nomination from Republican voters. A three-way race took off for Democrats with filings by former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias of Chicago, Chicago Alderman David Moore and Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia.
In the race for attorney general, Steve Kim, a Deerfield business attorney, and David Shestokas, a former Cook County assistant state's attorney from Orland Park, are rivals for the Republican nomination. Democratic incumbent Kwame Raoul of Chicago is thus far unopposed.
For comptroller, Democratic incumbent Susana Mendoza of Chicago and Crystal Lake Republican Shannon Teresi, who is McHenry County's auditor, both submitted petitions.
For treasurer, Republican state Rep. Tom Demmer of Dixon threw his hat in the ring to face incumbent Democrat Michael Frerichs of Champaign.