I will trust individuals to make their own healthcare decisions.  I am opposed to mandates and will stop government overreach by limiting the power of the Illinois administrative agencies.  As a former member of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), I have the experience to curtail the expansive power of the administrative state in Illinois.

Pritzker failed to stand up to corruption. He refused to demand corrupt Speaker Madigan step down after bribery, sexual harassment, and corruption scandals. Instead, he rubberstamped Madigan’s backroom deals and unbalanced budgets. And he’s hypocritically flaunted his own COVID-19 rules, traveling out of state, protesting with Chicago Black Lives Matter activists, and partying in Boystown while forcing the rest of us to stay home.

I will clean up corruption in Illinois. My entire life, I’ve stood up for what’s right, even when it was hard. As a prosecutor and a tough, independent leader, I will make politicians abide by the laws they create. I will bring transparency to our state government, because the truth is not afraid of transparency. And I will always do what’s right for you and your family, regardless of pressure from the political class.

Corruption in Illinois has become so ingrained in our system that it no longer shocks us. It’s routine. Accepted. Even commonplace.

When given the opportunity to stand up to corruption, Governor Pritzker failed. After corrupt Speaker Mike Madigan was revealed to have been successfully bribed by ComEd, Pritzker refused to demand he step down. As sexual harassment and corruption scandals broke in Madigan’s political operation during the 2016 gubernatorial primary, Pritzker was the only Democratic candidate to not condemn Madigan—because he needed Madigan’s help to get elected. And even before he became governor, Pritzker donated over $140,000 to Rod Blagojevich, then was caught by the FBI trying to make a backroom deal to be appointed Illinois Treasurer.

It should come as no surprise that Pritzker has refused to stand up to the entrenched special interests who have been destroying our state. He’s rubberstamped Madigan’s backroom deals and unbalanced budgets. He’s played political games with his COVID mitigation plan, giving special treatment to certain regions when pressured by his Democratic allies. And he’s hypocritically flaunted the COVID rules he’s put in place for the rest of us, traveling to his farm in Wisconsin during the stay-at-home order, protesting shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of Black Lives Matter activists during the peak of the pandemic, and partying in the streets of Boystown after Biden’s election.

We can fix what is wrong with our state, but only if we have a governor who will be independent, stand up to the special interests, and investigate corrupt politicians. I am that leader.

My entire life, I’ve stood up for what’s right, even when it was hard. I risked my life to protect my fellow Americans in the Navy and Marine Corps. I stood up to a brutal dictator and helped bring him to justice. I took on the Madigan machine the Republican Party wasn’t willing to challenge his daughter for Attorney General. I sacrificed my political career because my integrity was more important to me than a government title. I’ve called out my own conservative allies when they were wrong. I have even voted against some of my biggest campaign contributors, proving I can’t be bought.

As a prosecutor and a tough, independent leader, I will clean up corruption in Illinois and make you proud to say you’re from Illinois. I will make politicians abide by the laws they create. I will bring transparency to our state government, because the truth is not afraid of transparency. And I will always do what’s right for you and your family, regardless of pressure from the political class.

I am the only candidate in this race with a proven record of fighting against corruption. My opponents can all say they will clean up Illinois, but those are just words, not actions. I’ve been tested. We can’t afford to nominate another candidate for governor who tells us one thing then does another.

You trusted me to represent the United States in the Saddam Hussein trial and bring the brutal dictator to justice. You trusted me as a state senator to stand up to special interests and vote against reckless tax increases. Now, I’m asking you to trust me as your next governor to renew our great state of Illinois.