After his victory in Tuesday’s election, Illinois Governor-elect J.B. Pritzker has named his transition team as he prepares to take office early next year.
Pritzker, who beat incumbent Governor Bruce Rauner in a costly and hotly-contested race, named Lieutenant Governor-elect Juliana Stratton as his Transition Committee Chair, and announced that Anne Caprara, his campaign manager, will serve as Chief of Staff in his new administration.
“I am honored to be chairing the transition committee with a remarkable group of leaders who represent the diversity and strength of our state,” Stratton said in a statement.
The Pritzker campaign named five co-chairs for the Transition Committee, including former Republican Governor Jim Edgar and Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael Carrigan.
Barbara Bowman, a professor and co-founder of the Erikson Institute, La Casa Norte Founding Executive Director Sol Flores, and businessman Marty Nesbitt were also named as co-chairs for the committee.
Former Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes will serve on the committee, as will the following individuals:
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Transition Director: Nikki Bidzinski
Deputy Transition Director: Sean Rapelyea
Senior Advisor: State Rep. Christian Mitchell
Senior Advisor: Michael Sacks
Counsel: Jesse Ruiz
Pritzker, who will take over for Rauner after the Republican served one term in office, will inherit many issues on his first day in office, including deficits and backlogs on pension payments and other expenditures.
The incoming governor will be surrounded by friendly faces in state office, as Democrats swept just about every state-wide office on the ballot. Kwame Raoul won his race to replace Attorney General Lisa Madigan, beating Republican challenger Erika Harold, and Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Secretary of State Jesse White, and Treasurer Mike Frerichs all won re-election.
