In a press conference today, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, 51, officially announced his candidacy for Governor of the state of Illinois.
Irvin, the first Black mayor of the second largest city in Illinois, will share the ballot with State Representative Avery Bourne of Morrisonville, who will run for Lt. Governor.
On his website and his opening campaign video, Irvin leans heavily on biography, stressing the fact that he is the great-grandson of a slave, was brought up by a single mother in Section 8 housing, is a combat veteran and former prosecutor, and the first Black mayor of Aurora. Irvin will also emphasize crime, stressing that crime has decreased in Aurora since his first election for mayor in 2017, due to the increase in funding for the city’s police force. In his video, Irvin says that “‘Defund The Police’ is dumb, dangerous and costs lives.” Irvin was reelected to a second 4-year term in 2021.
Bourne, Irvin’s running mate, also brings historical biography to the ticket. A state representative of Illinois’ 95th District, which is located halfway between Springfield and St. Louis in downstate Illinois, in 2015 she became the youngest legislator to be sworn into the Illinois legislature in history. Bourne lives in rural Christian County where her family has farmed for over 150 years.
The GOP primary will be crowded, with at least 8 candidates vying for the nomination. A key to the outcome will likely come from businessman Ken Griffin, considered the wealthiest man in Illinois. Griffin has vowed to spend whatever it takes to defeat incumbent governor JB Pritzker, having spent nearly $50 million to help defeat Pritzker’s progressive income tax referendum already. Numerous reports state that sources indicate that Griffin has decided to throw his millions behind Irvin, while Griffin’s team insists that he hasn’t yet decided on whom to back.
The primary in Illinois is June 28 this year.
