Rauner Picks Wheaton City Council Member As Running Mate
CHICAGO (AP) -- The 2014 Republican ticket for the Illinois governor's race came into focus on Tuesday as businessman Bruce Rauner announced Wheaton City Councilwoman Evelyn Sanguinetti as his lieutenant governor pick, making him the last of the four GOP candidates to name a running-mate.
"She has the talent and guts to take on the lobbyists, special interests, and career politicians that are destroying this state and eliminating opportunities for the next generation," Rauner said in a statement.
Sanguinetti is a lawyer who was once an assistant attorney general in Illinois under Atty. Gen. Jim Ryan before joining the suburban Chicago council in 2011. She's the daughter of Cuban and Ecuadoran immigrants and was born in Florida.
A mother of three, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis before campaigning for her current office.
"I'm proof that with hard work, a good education and an opportunity anyone from anywhere can make it," she said in a statement.
The venture capitalist from Winnetka is the only GOP candidate who has never held public office, something he's billed as a positive attribute. On the campaign trail, he's emphasized political reform and is chairman of a political action committee calling for term limits.
The other candidates have already announced their picks, each one saying the choice will help them appeal to female and minority voters, something Republicans have vowed to do since big Election Day Losses.
Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford of Chenoa selected Northbrook attorney Steve Kim, State Sen. Dillard chose state Rep. Jil Tracy of Quincy and State Sen. Bill Brady chose former Long Grove Village President Maria Rodriguez
Gov. Pat Quinn has yet to announce his running mate; Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is running for Illinois comptroller instead of seeking a second term.
It is the first time candidates for Illinois governor will run with their lieutenant governor picks, a change prompted by the 2010 primary in which the past legal troubles of the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor -- Scot Lee Cohen -- were revealed.
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