As Expected, Aurora Mayor Irvin Joins GOP Race for Governor
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin launched his campaign for Governor Monday.
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin jumped into the race for Governor Monday, announcing his run for the GOP nomination with Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville) as his running mate.
Interestingly enough, the campaign posted its announcement news release on social media, but didn’t send it to us.
Irvin’s announcement video:
Irvin, 51, was elected Mayor of Aurora in 2017 and re-elected last year. While he has been involved in local Republican politics over the years, and was at one time a Kane County GOP precinct committeeman, he has voted in all but one Democratic primary since at least 2014, according to the Kane County Clerk’s office.
Bourne, 29, was appointed to the House in 2015 and has served since, rising to House GOP leadership. She is considered a rising star in GOP politics as a conservative female, young mother, and spoken advocate on issues like abortion and ethics.
Billionaire Ken Griffin, who is said to be financing a slate of GOP candidates led by Irvin and Bourne, is praising Irvin’s candidacy. In a statement today:
"Unlike the current Governor who was born into wealth and has demonstrated little urgency or progress in improving our State, Richard Irvin’s life embodies the American Dream and a real commitment to making communities stronger. From humble beginnings, he put himself through college with the help of the GI bill and chose to enter public service to make a difference in the lives of others. As Mayor of Aurora, he has successfully delivered on the issues Illinoisans care most about – strengthening the education system, improving public safety, creating economic opportunities and governing with integrity. I am excited that he has decided to join the race, and look forward to the opportunity to meet him and learn more about his ideas in the weeks ahead."
Both Irvin and Bourne were reportedly recruited for the ticket by Mike Zolnerowicz, known as “Mike Z” in Republican circles, a former Chief of Staff to Gov. Bruce Rauner, who is advising Griffin.
Democrats were quick to condemn Irvin.
From Democratic Party of Illinois Executive Director Abby Witt:
“Today, we finally received official confirmation of what has been reported for weeks: Richard Irvin will lead Ken Griffin’s Rauner Reboot slate as the candidate for governor. Irvin jumps into the race with the blessing of Bruce Rauner himself and leads a handpicked slate ready to pull Illinois back to the Rauner days of chaos and dysfunction. Illinoisans will not be fooled by the Rauner Reboot slate and they will not stand idly by while Ken Griffin and Bruce Rauner try to drag our state backwards with their anti-working family agenda. Simply put, Illinois voters will not tolerate a slate of candidates whose only goal is to return us to the Rauner years of budget impasses, credit downgrades, draconian service cuts, and governmental crisis.”
Terry Cosgrove, who runs Personal PAC, a big-spending pro-abortion group, called Irvin a “threat to women’s reproductive rights.”
“Richard Irvin and Avery Bourne present a clear threat to the progress we’ve made in Illinois to enshrine reproductive rights into law and protect the fundamental right to choose. Their extreme positions on reproductive decision making would take Illinois back decades––to a time of dirty and deadly back-alley abortions. We will not allow Republican extremists to make Illinois a more dangerous state for women.”