With the Illinois primary election rapidly approaching, campaigns are churning into high gear to help secure nominations for office in the state.
NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago are partnering with the Chicago Urban League, The Latino Policy Forum and the Union League Club of Chicago to host a televised forum for a trio of Republican candidates vying for the party’s nomination to challenge Gov. J.B. Pritzker in the 2022 election.
The one-hour forum will take place on Tuesday, May 24 at 6 p.m., and will be hosted at NBC Tower.
NBC 5 Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern will moderate the forum, and NBC Chicago anchor Allison Rosati and Telemundo Chicago anchor Anabel Monge will take questions from a live-studio audience for the roundtable-format event.
Here are the candidates that will be participating:
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin has made a big entry into the gubernatorial race, running advertisements attacking bills that ended cash bail in the state, as well as criticizing the governor for an increase in violence in the city of Chicago.
Irvin has vowed to encourage the hiring of more police officers throughout the state, and has also proposed legislation that would cut property taxes and to curtail government spending. He has also campaigned on passing term limits for Illinois politicians.
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State Senator Paul Schimpf
State Senator Paul Schimpf has focused on a variety of issues during his time in office, serving on the Senate’s Judiciary, Telecommunications and Agriculture committees, among others.
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Schimpf also served in the Marines and graduated from Southern Illinois University’s School of Law in 2000.
According to his campaign website, Schimpf has vowed to “clean up corruption” in Illinois, and will oppose “government overreach,” citing his opposition to vaccine and other COVID-related mandates undertaken by local governments and by Pritzker’s administration.
Attorney Max Solomon
Max Solomon is a licensed attorney and ordained Christian minister who describes himself as a “social and fiscal conservative” on his campaign website.
Solomon’s website emphasizes his support of legislation that would allow parents to receive vouchers to send their children to private schools, along with bills to cut taxes and to prevent health departments from imposing mask mandates and other COVID mitigations.
“We are pleased to host the Republican candidates for Illinois governor in this forum,” NBC 5 Station Manager and Vice President of News Frank Whittaker said in a statement. “We’re committed to providing our community with unmatched political coverage.”
The forum will air live on both NBC 5 and on Telemundo Chicago, and will also be live-streamed on NBCChicago.com and TelemundoChicago.com. A replay of the forum will also air on the Peacock streaming service.
“This forum will allow voters to hear from the candidates themselves about where they stand on important issues in Illinois,” Telemundo Chicago VP of News Diana Maldonado said in a statement. “We’re proud to provide this level of coverage to both the English and Spanish-speaking communities in our area.”
