Self-Proclaimed 'Outsider' Jesse Sullivan Joins Race For IL Gov

SPRINGFIELD, IL — Central Illinois native Jesse Sullivan announced Thursday morning that he is running for the Republican nomination for governor. The 37-year-old venture capitalist from Petersburg, Illinois, is the founder and CEO of Alter Global, a San Francisco-based IT investment group.

In a campaign video, Sullivan said if elected he will lead with morals and faith, and use science to inform his decisions.

"This fight is about insiders, who talk a good game, versus us outsiders, who actually want to solve problems and deliver results for our neighbors in need," Sullivan says in the video.

Sullivan could be referring to his opponents for the Republican nomination, which include Illinois representatives and businessmen — among then, Gary Rabine, state Rep. Darren Baily and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf.

On Wednesday night, Sullivan's campaign announced he had raised nearly $11 million in donations from his West Coast supporters. Campaign records show the funds came from seven core donors.

In March, current Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker donated $35 million to his own reelection campaign fund.

Rabine weighed in on Sullivan's finances, saying the downstate native's values weren't the same as those of the "Republican Party here in the Heartland."

Those values and ideologies are taking a center stage in the Republican race, as abortion, immigration and COVID-19 become key issues among Republican candidates who have criticized Pritzker's handling of all three.

Sullivan told the Chicago Tribune he was "realistic" on the issue of abortion, saying the "goal of everyone is to reduce the total number of abortions," which he said could happen by increasing foster care. Sullivan and his wife have two foster children.

Sullivan also said he has been vaccinated for COVID-19 and encourages vaccination, in contrast to Rabine and Bailey who strike a more doubtful tone.

"Science is there to help us as a society to make these decisions and I get very frustrated that politics has infiltrated every aspect of our lives," Sullivan told the Tribune.

Paul Schimpf welcomed Sullivan into the race in a statement that called the growing candidate pool a "robust campaign spreading the message that J.B. Pritzker is undeserving of reelection [and] is good news for the Illinois Republican Party."

Pritzker said at an unrelated press conference the Republican Party wants to take the state "backwards."

"All I can say is that I'm focused on the issues that are really important to the people of Illinois," Pritzker said. "Certainly that includes dealing with violent crime, but, very importantly, protecting a woman's right to choose, expanding business opportunity and economic opportunity for people to get jobs and then focusing on working people and getting a good wage for people."

Sullivan also emphasized similar issues in his campaign video, citing crime, corruption and high taxes as his three main opponents. He is expected to make an in-person announcement of his candidacy on Thursday evening.