By Blake Haas
BLOOMINGTON – The race to be Illinois’ next Governor got more crowded on Monday as two more Republicans entered the race.
According to a campaign statement, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and State Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville) announced their candidacy to be the next Governor and Lt. Governor of Illinois.
Irvin, who is running for Gov., vows to be tough on crime, cut wasteful spending, and spur economic growth if he’s elected.
In a campaign video, the pair said they are ready to clean up crime, corruption, and reckless spending under the watch of Gov. JB Pritzker and former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.
“Crime is out of control, and so is corruption,” Irvine said. “Negligence and incompetence have destroyed our finances, so taxes go up, people move out because there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s not true; I know it’s not.”
Downstate Republican Bourne, who is running for Lt. Gov., became the youngest person to be sworn into the Illinois state legislature in 2015.
“As Richard’s partner, I look forward to righting JP Pritzker’s wrongs in ruling our state with unilateral authority,” Bourne said in a campaign statement. “We will fight to restore parent’s rights and encourage local control because we believe all residents and communities of Illinois should have a seat at the table.”
On the news of Mayor Irvin and State Rep. Bourne running for election, the Democratic party fired back by saying the pair joins a “crowded field of extremists in the messy, divisive GOP primary.”
The Democrat party claims Mayor Irvin and State Rep. Bourne have the backing of Illinois billionaire and hedge fund manager Ken Griffin alongside former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner – whom Griffin supported for Gov.
In multiple interviews, Griffin has pledged to donate massive amounts of cash towards a GOP candidate to defeat Gov. Pritzker.
Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].
