Chicago businessman Chris Kennedy will join the Democratic race for Illinois governor, officially filing paperwork with the state later Wednesday, said campaign aides to the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy.
"Today I am announcing my run for governor because I love Illinois," Kennedy said in a statement. "But we have never been in worse shape. We don’t need incremental improvement. We need fundamental change in state government."
Kennedy said it was time for "Illinois to again embrace the American Dream, the notion that we are a country and a state where anyone can make it and where unlimited opportunity is the promise of our country."
A video the campaign posted shows images of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, who plans to seek re-election next year. Kennedy doesn’t mention Rauner by name but says that he believes "in working with others, not telling them what to do" and that "compromise is not surrender." Rauner has been locked in a lengthy budget stalemate with Democrats who control the General Assembly.
Kennedy previously had considered bids for state office only to abandon them. But in his current effort he has worked to gear up on staff prior to an announcement.
He is the second announced Democrat to challenge Rauner’s expected re-election bid in 2018. Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar also has announced, but several other Democrats are considering a run, including another Chicago businessman, J.B. Pritzker.
Democrats have been looking to field a wealthy competitor as a counterbalance to Rauner, a wealthy former private equity investor who has used his resources to try to rebuild the state Republican brand. Rauner recently pumped $50 million of his personal money into his campaign account as a show of strength against any potential Democratic challengers, and aides promised there was more money to come.
Campaign ad: Chris Kennedy is running for governor
Campaign ad: Chris Kennedy is running for governor.
Campaign ad: Chris Kennedy is running for governor.
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"I know how an economy is meant to function, not just for the rich, but for members of all communities. Together, we can fix the mess and restore the promise of our state," Kennedy said.
The Rauner-subsidized State GOP quickly attacked Kennedy, calling him a "lap dog" of the governor’s chief political nemesis, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Madigan, veteran lawmaker and state Democratic chairman, previously said Kennedy would be a good candidate.
Kennedy formerly managed the Merchandise Mart and is now involved in real estate development at the Wolf Point project. He and wife Sheila have four children.
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