Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin joined the gubernatorial fray on Monday, entering the race as a Republican hoping to challenge incumbent Democrat J.B. Pritzker.
Irvin is the fifth candidate seeking the GOP spot on the November ballot. He announced his candidacy in a news release and videos sent to reporters today and chose as his running mate Rep. Avery Bourne, a three-term Republican legislator from the central Illinois town of Morrisonville, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The 29-year-old Borne was the youngest person to serve in the General Assembly when she was sworn into office in 2015. In the announcement today, Bourne said “As Richard’s partner, I look forward to righting JB Pritzker’s wrongs in ruling our state with unilateral authority,” She says “We will fight to restore parents’ rights and encourage local control because we believe all residents and communities of Illinois should have a seat at the table.”
Irvin is in his second term as Mayor of Aurora. He was sworn into office as the first African American Mayor of Aurora in May of 2017. You can see the video announcement on the pair’s website at www.irvinbourne.com