Prairie State Wire

Jesse Sullivan is running for Illinois governor while also running Alter Global, a venture capital fund.

“I love our home, but I hate our politics,” Sullivan said. “These politicians have taken everything that I love about our great state and driven it into the ground. I feel like you can do one of two things: get up and leave, like many of our neighbors are doing, or you can stand up and fight back.”

Sullivan defined himself as a “fiscal, social and constitutional” conservative.

“My Christian faith drives my entire life,” he said. “I feel like if we do one thing to save Illinois it’s this: we need to deepen our relationship with God as individuals, a community and a state.”

Sullivan was born and raised in Petersburg and is now raising his own family in Petersburg. He is one of eight children and has four biological children of his own and two foster children.

“After a lot of prayer with my wife, I decided I feel like my life experiences and background have led me to a place that I actually could help turn things around in the state of Illinois,” he said in Pantagraph.

The gubernatorial candidate faces off against nine Republicans and two Democrats in the primary.

“I have had enough of these corrupt politicians running our state into the ground,” he said.

Sullivan served as a Special Assistant to the Haitian ambassador after the 2010 Haitian earthquake. He also served as a Human Terrain Team Analyst in Helmand Afghanistan.

VOA News reported he spent nights in a tent in Washington, D.C., for nearly a month to bring awareness to the homeless Haitians.

“What I learned there was to protect and serve,” he said. “At home, we have these corrupt warzones. We have a lack of political leadership to stand up on behalf of our police and make the streets safe.” 

The primary election is scheduled for June 28.

“I want to make our state safe again,” Sullivan said.