Rep. Wheeler endorses Aurora Mayor Irvin in GOP governor’s race

State Rep. Keith Wheeler, R-Oswego, has endorsed Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin for Illinois Governor in the June 28 Republican primary election.

Wheeler has represented part of Aurora and a large portion of Kendall County since his election to the Illinois House in 2014.

In a statement, Wheeler applauded the Irvin-led economic turnaround in Aurora’s downtown. Additionally, Wheeler cited Irvin’s work in bringing together a diverse cross-section of the Aurora community among the reasons for his endorsement.

“Richard Irvin is our best Republican hope to turn Illinois around. To bring opportunity where there has been no hope. To bring Illinoisans together–Democrats, Republicans and independents–to lift each other up and drive toward a better Illinois,” Wheeler said in the statement, adding, “The principles of faith, family, hard work and individual freedom are shared by a majority of Illinoisans. Richard Irvin is uniquely positioned to bring a proven track record of personal accountability, economic growth and support for our police officers.”

Irvin praised Wheeler for his performance in the Illinois House in the statement.

“I’m proud to have the endorsement of Rep. Wheeler. He was instrumental in assisting with the transformation of Aurora’s downtown that boosted our economic development, and he has always been a strong advocate for Aurora in Springfield. When I become governor, Rep. Wheeler and I will work tirelessly together to deliver on all of JB Pritzker’s broken promises.”

Wheeler, who previously endorsed Irvin when he ran for Aurora Mayor in 2017, currently serves as Assistant House Minority Leader.

Also seeking the GOP nomination in next month’s ballot are Darren Bailey, Paul Schimpf, Gary Rabine, Max Solomon and Jesse Sullivan.