Chris Kennedy has chosen his running mate, sources told NBC 5 Wednesday.
Kennedy is expected to name Ra Joy, the executive director of CHANGE Illinois, as his pick, multiple sources told NBC 5.
An announcement is planned for Thursday morning, according to Rebecca Evans, a spokeswoman for the Kennedy campaign, who has not confirmed the choice.
Joy's son, Xavier, was gunned down earlier this summer. Xavier wanted to be involved in politics.
Ra is described in his CHANGE Illinois profile as "a civic entrepreneur with a proven track record as a coalition builder," noting "Ra has a decades-long commitment to advancing democracy and the arts."
Ra previously served as executive director of Arts Alliance Illinois, according to the profile.
Last week, candidates for the March 2018 primary began passing out petitions to get signatures to appear on the ballot.
Kennedy is one of the only Democratic candidates for Illinois governor who has not yet announced his choice.
At Democratic Day at the Illinois State Fair, Kennedy was asked if he's looking for an outsider -- someone outside of state government -- and he declined to answer, asking reporters to give him a couple of weeks.
There are reports from several political sources that Kennedy has had difficulty getting someone to join him in the 2018 campaign.
