Daniel Biss Picks Progressive Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa As Running Mate

By aaroncynic in News on Sep 1, 2017 2:15PM

Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa speaks at a press conference on education equity outside the National Teachers Academy. Photo by Aaron Cynic.

Chicago Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) will join Daniel Biss as his running mate in the 2018 gubernatorial race.

Evanston State Senator Biss announced on Thursday that Rosa, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and the city’s first openly gay Latino member of City Council, would be his choice for lieutenant governor.

“We’re at a defining moment for our party and our state. Illinois needs a lieutenant governor who deeply believes in grassroots politics,” said Biss in a fundraising email to supporters shortly before making a formal announcement in Logan Square. “We need someone who is progressive in their core, unafraid to take on entrenched power, and unashamed to stand with the working families of Illinois. And most importantly, we need a someone who represents a new generation of Democrats, a generation ready to throw out the old playbook and set a new direction for Illinois—to fight for the rest of us.”

While the position of lieutenant governor doesn’t hold that much power, choosing Rosa is a chance for Biss to set himself apart and firmly to the left of a crowded field of challengers in the Democratic primary.

Without naming him specifically, Rosa took a jab at billionaire J.B. Pritzker, who has received the endorsement of Cook County Democrats, as well as several labor unions. “In this election, we have the chance to change the fundamental direction of our state by putting middle class and working families first,” said Rosa in a statement. "But if we’re going to transform our state, we can’t replace one billionaire with another billionaire.”

While the Democratic Socialists of America have not officially endorsed the Biss campaign, the group—which is not officially a political party but a “big tent” organization that operates as a non-profit—the Chicago chapter congratulated Rosa in a statement:

“As alderman for Chicago’s 35th Ward, Ramirez-Rosa has demonstrated his commitment to these values through his community defense committees designed to protect neighbors from deportation and his support for publicly financed elections, a Civilian Police Accountability Council, and participatory budgeting for his ward’s funds.

Ramirez-Rosa’s commitment to democratic-socialist values is not just talk but something he practices in the community. The team of volunteers at independent political organization United Neighbors of the 35th Ward regularly canvasses the community on his behalf, soliciting ideas from voters and empowering neighbors to become “co-creators of the communities in which they live.”