We continue our introduction of the Republican candidates for Illinois governor vying for the chance to challenge JB Pritzker next year.

Here’s a refresher of the six candidates in the race right now:

  • former state senator Paul Schimpf
  • current State Sen. Darren Bailey
  • Cheryl Erickson
  • Christopher Roper
  • entrepreneur Jesse Sullivan
  • entrepreneur Gary Rabine.

We all know money will be a big factor in the race, and there’s already some big money involved.

Take a look at their cash on hand at the end of the second quarter, with third-quarter reports due Oct. 15:  

  • Schimpf with $116,000.
  • Bailey at almost $500,000.
  • Erickson, still new to the race, hasn’t filed a financial report yet
  • Roper has less than $300.
  • Jesse Sullivan made his presence felt when he launched his campaign in September, reporting donations of almost $11 million – that dwarfs the field.
  • Gary Rabine has close to $300,000.

Sullivan is from Petersburg, Ill., outside of Springfield. He earned his bachelor’s degree in international studies and theology at Saint Louis University, and he has a master’s degree in global governance and diplomacy from Oxford.

Additionally he earned an MBA from Stanford University.

Sullivan, who never has held elected office, founded a social venture while in college called Live One World.

He spent a year and a half in Afghanistan as a military contractor, a private citizen working for the Department of Defense as a strategic analyst.

While he was at Stanford, he started a venture capital company called Alter Global that provides seed money to startup companies all over the world.

“In Illinois, we have a lot of people who need jobs created,” Sullivan said. “And growing the economy here in Illinois is my entire focus.”

There’s a lot of uncertainty in this campaign with more than eight months until the primary, and this already-large field could get larger.

Local 4 News, your local election headquarters, is proud to present 4 The Record, a weekly news and public affairs program focused on the issues important to you.  It’s a program unlike any other here in the Quad Cities. Tune in each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. as Jim Niedelman brings you up to speed on what’s happening in the political arena, from Springfield, Des Moines, Washington, D.C. and right here at home.