Big news! Today I am happy to announce I am officially on the ballot as a candidate for the Democratic Primary for Governor. I couldn’t have done it without the support and dedication of many volunteers who gathered the signatures of registered voters across the state. It was a truly Herculean effort that yielded 10,000 signatures that I delivered this morning to Springfield. Thank you!

I am just thrilled that we can now turn the campaign’s attention to the issues that brought me into this fight – fixing a pay-to-play political system that is broken and breaking us, getting Illinoisans back to work, and putting this state on a sustainable economic path.

The best part about collecting signatures to get on the ballot was the opportunity it afforded me to talk to voters about what they want to see happen in this state. To be frank, I was shocked at the level of frustration and cynicism felt by Illinois voters. The sense of resentment and hopelessness was deeper than I thought. People in this state are fed up with a political system that is run by a few and serves the interests of a few. In conversation after conversation, I was reminded of my own reasons for entering this race.

People were frustrated by falling job opportunities and rising taxes; disenchanted by mounting political scandals and the feeling that if you have money, you have access to power. People are fed up with the insanity of a system that says if you are politically connected, that system will take care of you for the rest of your life – at the expense of the working people of Illinois.

We burned through a lot of shoe leather gathering 10,000 signatures – but we also recommitted ourselves to putting this state back on track. I know I have a real fight ahead, but with your continued support, we are going to win and together take back Illinois. Thanks for your help and onward!