By Sam Wood

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner offered a full-throated endorsement Wednesday of State Sen. Daniel Biss’ candidacy for governor.

“We are not just pawns in a chess game, we are human beings,” Renner exclaimed to a group of Biss’ supporters while standing in front of an Abraham Lincoln statue outside the McLean County Museum of History. “Daniel Biss understands that and I am enthusiastically, whole-heartedly, unequivocally supporting Daniel Biss for governor of Illinois.”

Biss, an Evantson Democrat and graduate of Harvard and MIT, is in his second term in the Senate. He said he’s enjoyed tremendous support in Bloomington since launching his campaign last spring.

“I’ve been really honored by the kind of support I’ve had in this community, by ordinary people, volunteers, activists and those are the people around mayor Renner,” Biss said. “I think that gives him the strength to known that he’s making a decision that fits not only his conscience but also what they people in the community he represents would like to see happen.

Biss had high praise for Renner.

“Your extraordinary leadership here in the City of Bloomington, if only we had a couple hundred more like you across the state of Illinois,” Biss said of Renner.

Renner explained why he as a non-partisan officeholder chose to endorse a partisan candidate.

“When I look at a state, regardless of party, that is dysfunctional and I think there’s a strong agent of change that can bring that, I can’t remain silent, I can’t sit on the sidelines,” Renner said.

Biss is one of eight candidates who are seeking the nomination in March 2018. He also secured an endorsement from State Sen. David Koehler of Peoria earlier this month.

Sam Wood can be reached at [email protected].
Eric Stock contributed to this report.