Back in January, a father and his daughter attended one of my meetings in Sterling. He’s retired from the Illinois Department of Corrections. She was pursuing nursing through the area community college. I bring them up because their issues define this race and why I am running.

There are those in Springfield who think the answer to our state’s financial problems is to break promises to our retirees and state employees. Corporate interests, who long ago abandoned their workers’ retirement security, now want the state to do the same.

I’m not going to be part of that. I’ve fought to protect your economic and retirement security.