CHICAGO — Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin formally announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor Monday, stressing his background as a former county prosecutor to focus on a tough-on-crime message the GOP is hoping will play well against Democrats this year.
In a three-minute announcement video, Irvin says that after serving in the military, he went to law school and then to “become a hands-on prosecutor going on police raids, taking back one corner or apartment complex at a time. Putting gangbangers, drug dealers and wife beaters in prison.”
“I’ve seen it up close. Defund the police is dumb, dangerous and it costs lives. And I believe that all lives matter. Every family should be safe,” he says. “My city is now safe, stronger and full of opportunity. I want that for Illinois.”
Irvin, 51, the first Black mayor of the state’s second-largest city, chose Martin Luther King Jr. Day to launch a campaign he and Republicans believe can appeal to Black voters who traditionally vote overwhelmingly Democratic.
At the same time, Republicans see the recent outbreak in violent crime in the city and suburbs as an opportunity to portray Democrats as soft on crime for enacting criminal justice changes such as an end to cash bail, even though many of those changes have yet to go into effect.
The announcement by Irvin and his running mate, state Rep. Avery Bourne, 29, from downstate Morrisonville, completes a slate of statewide candidates assembled to gain the financial support of the state’s wealthiest resident, Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin.
Griffin, worth $26.3 billion according to Forbes, had pledged to go “all in” against first-term Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune who is worth $3.6 billion, according to Forbes.
In a statement Monday, Griffin again had harsh words for Pritzker while expressing enthusiasm about Irvin’s entrance into the race.
He criticized Pritzker as being “born into wealth” and demonstrating “little urgency or progress” in improving the state in contrast to Irvin, who “embodies the American dream and a real commitment to making communities stronger.”
“I am excited that (Irvin) 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,” Griffin said.
On Friday night, in a show of financial strength, Pritzker put $90 million of his own money into his campaign fund. That brought the total he has given his reelection campaign to $132 million. Pritzker spent more than $171 million to win election in 2018 against one-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Previously announced members of the Republican slate seeking to challenge Democrats, who hold every statewide office, include former U.S. Attorney John Milhiser for secretary of state, state Rep. Tom Demmer of Dixon for state treasurer, attorney Steve Kim for attorney general and McHenry County Auditor Shannon Teresi for comptroller.
The GOP slate now headed by Irvin was put together by political operatives who were behind Republican Mark Kirk’s successful 2010 U.S. Senate bid and Rauner’s 2014 election, and who used Griffin’s money to help defeat Pritzker’s 2020 ballot initiative to switch the state to a graduated-rate income tax system.
Sources said Griffin has not been satisfied with the prospects of four previously announced contenders for the GOP nomination — businessmen Gary Rabine of Bull Valley and Jesse Sullivan of Petersburg, state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo.
Irvin grew up in Aurora public housing and was raised by a single mother. He joined the U.S. Army after graduating from East Aurora High School and served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
After returning home, he graduated from Robert Morris University and got a law degree from Northern Illinois University before becoming an assistant prosecutor in the Cook County and Kane County state’s attorney’s offices. In 2007, Irvin became the first Black male elected to the Aurora City Council as an at-large member, and held that post until his election as mayor in 2017.
“Running our second-largest city, crime has come down because the police budget has gone up. I hired more cops each year. We’ve recruited new companies, turned old properties into economic engines and we’ve controlled spending, balanced budgets, so residents got property tax relief,” Irvin says. “I promise you, we can overcome the challenges. It’s what I’m good at.”
Irvin’s opponents immediately questioned the newest entrant’s Republican credentials, noting he voted in Democratic primaries in 2014, 2016 and 2020.
On Twitter, Bailey wrote he was “not surprised to see the establishment already cuddling up with a career Democrat like Irvin. Some people are willing to throw away principles for a few bucks. While I welcome everyone to our party, we need a nominee who is actually a Republican and supports our platform.”
And in a statement, Rabine said that “after years of pulling Democratic primary ballots in years when Pat Quinn, Hillary and Joe Biden were top of the ticket, I am interested to hear what changed your mind on party affiliation.”
Sullivan used Irvin’s announcement to portray himself as a “true conservative outsider” positioned against “career politicians.”
The Democratic Governors Association also released a video of recent public statements Irvin made about Pritzker, particularly in dealing with the pandemic. The Republican field has been deeply critical of Pritzker’s mitigation efforts.
In the video, the second-term Aurora mayor is shown giving a speech in July in which he refers to Pritzker as a “great friend” and a “great leader who has guided our state with professionalism and compassion throughout this entire pandemic.”
Rather than explaining why Irvin pulled Democratic ballots in the past, his campaign team noted he was backed by Republicans and opposed by Democrats in an unsuccessful 2005 race for mayor, and that he later became a local GOP precinct committeeman. His campaign also said Irvin was opposed by the state’s leading Democrats, including U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, in his 2017 mayoral bid.
Irvin’s campaign also questioned the partisan purity of two rivals, noting Sullivan founded “OneWorld” magazine while attending Saint Louis University that supported then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, and his proposed global poverty act. They also said that in 2008 Bailey pulled a Democratic primary ballot.
Bailey’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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