With six candidates for the GOP nod to run for Illinois governor, Adam Andrzejewski hopes his standing as a political newcomer will give him an edge in a state where scandal has tarnished the governor's office for years.
"I just noticed the corruption (and) abject lack of leadership. . . In the absence of such, I decided to run for governor," Andrzejewski said during an interview with Newsmax.TV.
Newsmax.TV correspondent Kathleen Walter asked whether Republicans have a chance in a state that overwhelmingly elected President Barack Obama.
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"We really do," Andrzejewski said. "If we nominate the right candidate for governor, we can win this election. This is why: Our disgraced governor Rod Blagojevich, he'll be my best friend. He goes to trial in June, and he goes to trial with wiretaps. So the citizens of Illinois will be reminded on a daily basis just how bad this Illinois political class is."
"I'm a fresh face running on new ideas. I can be that standard-bearer for real Republican values and principles."
That includes the right to life, said the husband and father of three girls.
Walter asked Andrzejewski how he believes he could help Illinois through one of the longest and deepest recessions in history.
"We've got to get our hands around the financial mismanagement of Illinois spending," he said. "We've got about 110 billion dollars worth of state debt. We've got a net worth in state government of $44 billion dollars. . . What we need are spending cuts and through the forensic audit and the specific cuts I've identified — like zeroing out the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, like zeroing out every single state grant we can't put a measure to — we can balance this budget."
Raised in the close-knit, farming community of Herscher, Ill., Andrzejewski and his brother started a business that published telephone books in rural communities. In 2007, he sold his share of the business and, at the age of 37, he founded the For The Good Of Illinois organization to bring transparency, accountability, efficient service, and frugality to Illinois governments.
"I advocate public transparency through every dime online in real time," he said. "That's online banking for state government. That's posting the check book for state government, all the contracts, 100 percent financial transparency. I also take a cue from Florida. I would post every single public document on a Web site, just like Florida.
Facing Andrzejewski in the Republican primary are Matt Murphy, Dan Proft, Kirk Dillard, Bill Brady, and Bob Schillerstrom.
Democrat Pat Quinn, the incumbent who assumed office after Blagojevich was impeached, seeks a full term in 2010.
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