Amid Allegations of California Residency, Sullivan Provides Documentation of Illinois Home
New GOP gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan, who launched a venture capital firm following receiving his MBA from Stanford Business School, is being dogged by questions regarding his Illinois residency, though records show he has lived in Menard County since 2016.
When venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan launched his campaign for Governor last week, he was immediately hit with accusations characterizing him as a carpetbagger or Illinois outsider.
Sullivan’s campaign disputed those accusations Monday, specifically those lodged by two of Sullivan’s competitors for the Republican nomination, Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) and suburban businessman Gary Rabine.
In a video posted to his campaign Facebook page last week, Bailey even went as far to call Sullivan a trojan horse-style candidate enticed into the race by Democratic Governor JB Pritzker.
"I don't know that Governor Pritzker's finger is in this because he knows that he is weak, he is vulnerable, that he will be beaten in November. I suspect that is the case,” Bailey said in the video. "Not everything is as it seems."
Rabine’s campaign issued a statement following Sullivan’s formal entry into the race last week criticizing him for his California ties and fundraising.
“While Jesse Sullivan has been partnered with Silicon Valley elites, I have been creating jobs for working families right here in Illinois,” Rabine said in the statement.
Sullivan’s campaign provided a number of documents to The Illinoize Monday, some of which could not be independently verified, but appear to be legitimate. The Illinoize also did independent searches of Sullivan’s voting record, property ownership, land titles, and business registrations.
Sullivan attended Stanford University in northern California for his MBA and launched his venture capital firm, Alter, shortly after. Alter is listed in most promotional materials and social media channels as a San Francisco or Silicon Valley company, especially considering the tech-heavy focus of its work. The company is actually registered as an Limited Liability Company in Delaware, a traditional business practice due to tax benefits. A spokesman says all of Alter’s employees work remotely and the company does not have a physical office in California or any other state.
Sullivan says he and his wife returned to Petersburg, his hometown, from Stanford in 2016. A lease provided by Sullivan’s campaign, with an effective date of May 2, 2016, states Sullivan, his wife, and children began residing in a 3 bed, 2 bath, 2,100 square foot home in Petersburg on a month-to-month-lease.
Property records show Sullivan bought a tract of land, along with his parents, southeast of Petersburg in 2012. The house was constructed in 2017. His property tax bill jumped from $157 in 2017 to around $6,500 in 2018, indicating a home was constructed on the property. Voter registration records also show him at the current address of the home. Sullivan has voted in every election in Menard County since at least 2012. He voted absentee in 2012 and voted early in 2016.
While the accusations from other Republicans will likely have an impact on Sullivan’s standing with voters, especially when so few know him, his campaign appears to be attempting to have fun with the attacks.
With the GOP primary electorate less than friendly to California politics, it is safe to assume Bailey and Rabine will continue to attempt to make Sullivan appear like a west coast carpetbagger.