Rock Island Today

State Sen. Neil Anderson (R-Andalusia)  endorsed Republican Jesse Sullivan for the party's June 28 primary for governor. 

"There is a crowded field of people running to carry the torch for our party and save Illinois for our families," Anderson said in a release. "Frankly, I wasn't going to get involved in the primary because I thought any one of the candidates would be better than [Gov.] J.B. Pritzker. As we get closer to the election, I believe there is only one Republican candidate who can win our primary, unite our party, and defeat J.B. Pritzker in November." 

"Jesse will always stand with our police and first responders," he added. "He has concrete plans to restore safety to our streets and ethical leadership to our government. He shares the values of my district – faith, family, and service– and I trust he will be there to work with the General Assembly to lead us out of this mess."

More next-generation leaders are needed by the state, according to Anderson. Those who have "a vision for the future, the courage to fight honorably for it, and the integrity and conviction to see it through.

Anderson has been a fierce citric of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's Covid policies. 

"We have now found out who the 'scientists' are that the governor has been following — it's the other Democrat politicians across the country. It's clear that Pritzker's rules have always been about politics, not science," Anderson said, Rock Island Today previously reported. 

Sullivan, 37, is a tech entrepreneur born and raised in Menard County, has said he is sick of "career politicians," the Sangamon Sun previously reported. He will face off against State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, businessman Gary Rabine and former state senate member Paul Schimpf for the Republican nomination.

Sullivan cheered the governor's loss in the courts regarding mandatory masking after Pritzker appealed to the Joint Commission on Administrative Rules, the Sangamon Sun reported. Pritzker was accused of attempting to overturn a court decision that the state's mask demand against the schools mentioned in the lawsuit was unlawful.