Aurora Mayor Irvin Enters Governor's Race Monday, Chooses Bourne as Running Mate
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin speaks at a community town hall in 2017. The Illinoize has confirmed Irvin will announce his campaign for the Republican nomination for Governor Monday. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
It was a pretty poorly kept secret at this point, but The Illinoize has confirmed Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin will enter the Republican race for Governor on Monday.
Irvin, 51, will have the backing of billionaire Ken Griffin, though sources say Griffin may not make direct investments early on to give Democrats less of a line of attack on him.
Irvin has voted Democrat in all but one primary since at least 2014, according to the Kane County Clerk's office. That will obviously be a tough pill to swallow for many Republican voters and will be a constant line of attack for other candidates.
Irvin will run with Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville), a conservative young lawmaker who, at just 29, has already made her way up the ranks of House GOP leadership and is considered a rising star in the GOP.
I'm told Irvin won't be making any in person announcement Monday, as has been the case with the entire Griffin slate, but a video will likely be the means to kick off the campaign.
Republicans may be bragging about having the Pritzker campaign “running scared” after the billionaire reported dumping $90 million cash into his campaign Friday night. But, you had to assume he was spending that money anyway.
If he gets the nomination, Irvin would be the first African American major party gubernatorial nominee in the history of the state, Republican or Democrat. So it's not a coincidence this announcement will be made on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
This story will be updated.