It's being called the first progressive gubernatorial forum.
Sunday afternoon seven Democratic candidates gathered at the Chicago Teachers Union with NBC 5 Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern moderating the two-hour exchange.
With hundreds in attendance, the candidates came together to discuss the issues they plan to run on.
More than 50 organizations sponsored the event, including Our Revolution Illinois, the Chicago Teachers Union, MoveOn and Progressive Democrats of America. Social media watch parties were also held across the state.
The Progressive support is highly sought after, especially after the March 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary. Then, Sen. Bernie Sanders surprised many in Illinois when he received 48.7 percent of the vote, versus Hillary Clinton's 50.5 percent.
Nearly all of the Democratic candidates attended the forum, including Daniel Biss, Bob Daiber, Tio Hardiman, Chris Kennedy, Alex Paterakis, Ameya Pawar, J.B. Prtizker.
