Chris Kennedy To Run For Illinois Governor In 2018

CHICAGO, IL — Chris Kennedy, the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, announced Wednesday that he is running for Illinois governor in 2018.

Pundits began speculating as early as June of last year that the Chicago Democrat would make a bid to oust Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Kennedy made it official Wednesday, launching his campaign with email and video announcements. A press conference to make a formal announcement will be held later Wednesday, Feb. 8.

"I love this state, and I’m running for governor because we can do better," Kennedy said in his candidacy announcement. "Together we can restore the American Dream in Illinois in a single generation."

Chairman of his family's investment firm, Joseph P. Kennedy Enterprises, Kennedy was president of Chicago-based Merchandise Mart until the spring of 2012. In the summer of that year, he and his wife, Sheila Sinclair Berner, started the nonprofit Top Box Foods, which provides discounted grocery options to underprivileged families.

Kennedy has never run for elected office before. In 2009, he considered a U.S. Senate bid, but he changed his mind after then-Gov. Pat Quinn appointed Kennedy chairman of the board of trustees for the University of Illinois a day after the death of Kennedy's uncle, Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Chris Kennedy (screen shot via Kennedy's announcement video)

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