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In a Dec. 13 news conference, Darren Bailey announced that former radio host Stephanie Trussell had become his running mate as part of his campaign for Illinois governor.

Bailey described "Illinois' next lieutenant governor" as "a hard-working conservative" as well as "a fighter."

"Cindy and I are so excited to be here today with you to introduce to you the newest member of our team," Bailey said at the news conference.

Trussell, who grew up on Chicago's West Side, according to The Pantagraph, was a radio show host for WLS AM-890 for seven years. She then went to work for WIND AM-560. She currently lives in Lisle.

"Our home is in trouble. And when your home is in danger you stand up and do something about it," Bailey said. "... We are tired of the political class selling out the working class taxpayers because they don’t have the backbone to stand up and do what's right. We're tired of extreme liberal policies being pushed in Springfield while weak-kneed Republicans are too afraid to stand up and deliver a simple conservative message."

Bailey went on to discuss specific policies and what he viewed as the movement behind him.

"As your next governor, I'll remove the mandates and encourage parental involvement," Bailey said at the conference. "I will fight for your ability to send your kids to the best school, and that our children's education is focused on teaching them to chase their dreams and accomplish their next step. As Cindy and I continue to travel across our great state and listen to Illinoisans who are fed up with Springfield, the more we realized that this is not just a campaign, friends, this is a movement."

Other Republican candidates running in the primary in June with the hope of facing off against Gov. J.B. Pritzker, according to The Pantagraph, are: businessmen Gary Rabine of Bull Valley; Jessie Sullivan of Petersburg; and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo.