News Local/State

Democratic State Sen. Daniel Biss Running For Governor

 

Democratic state Sen. Daniel Biss says he's running for Illinois governor in 2018.

Biss on Monday became the latest Democrat to announce he's seeking the nomination to challenge Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

The former math professor from Evanston says people in Illinois "are hurting because of the failed policies of the last two years."

He says he’s running for governor to create a “movement of people.”

“In Illinois, billionaires and machine politicians have a monopoly on political power," he says. "They fight with each other, they help each other out, and mostly they make decisions about us without us in the room."

Biss led an attack on Rauner and other Republicans during the 2016 election, creating a super PAC that ran ads linking them to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The Illinois Republican Party says Biss has supported Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and would be "the North Shore branch of the Madigan machine."

Biss made his announcement in a video streamed on Facebook.

Other Democrats who've already announced they're running include businessman Chris Kennedy and Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar. Billionaire businessman J.B. Pritzker says he's exploring a bid.