Chicago - Daniel Biss pledged on Tuesday to appoint a cabinet reflecting our state’s diversity and including a majority of women as members. The pledge comes days after Women's Equality Day, when over 100 elected officials, community organizers, and other Illinoisans declared themselves Women for Biss on social media.
"My campaign is about giving a voice to those who haven't been represented in our state's government—working families whose interests have been ignored in favor of the billionaires and political machines,” said Daniel Biss.
"Today, I'm committing to do that, not just in policy but in practice. As governor, I pledge to compose a cabinet that reflects our state's diversity, and includes a majority of women as members. If we are to begin to address the historical under-representation of important voices in Illinois, we must start by making sure all communities are at the table."
This pledge follows Women’s Equality Day on Saturday, when over 100 elected officials, community organizers, and other Illinoisans joined together online to announce on the anniversary of women’s suffrage that they will be using their hard-earned votes to support Daniel Biss for governor. In videos posted on their social media platforms throughout the day, women from across the state shared their pledge with their friends, family and the public. 71,800 unique users engaged with the #WomenForBiss hashtag more than 684,000 times across Twitter and Facebook.
"Our campaign isn't going to be powered by big checks and political machines, but small contributions and the enthusiasm of ordinary people across our state," added Biss campaign manager, Abby Witt. "We're proud not just of the outpouring of support for Daniel, but of the organizing that helped capture and mobilize the grassroots support to take our state back from money and the machine."
Elected officials announcing their endorsements for the first time on Women’s Equality Day included Normal City Council Member Chemberly Cummings, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Debra Shore, Evanston 5th Ward Alderwoman Robin Rue Simmons, and Illinois State Representative Robyn Gabel. United States Representative Robin Kelly, former Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon, and Illinois State Representatives Elaine Nekritz, Kelly Cassidy, and Litesa Wallace, all of whom endorsed Daniel within the past few months, also released videos as part of #WomenForBiss. The campaign compiled many of these endorsements in a video posted on social media and introduced by Daniel's wife, Karin Steinbrueck.
###
