Illinois gubernatorial candidate Ameya Pawar selects Cairo mayor as running mate

CAIRO, IL (KFVS) - Democratic candidate for Illinois governor Ameya Pawar has chosen Cairo Mayor Tyrone Coleman to be his 2018 running mate.

Pawar, a Chicago alderman, made the announcement Tuesday, Aug. 15.

"I asked Mayor Coleman to be my running mate because he embodies the struggle that every Illinois family and town is experiencing," Pawar said.

Coleman spent 10 years in the Marine Corps and was honorably discharged at the rank of Staff Sergeant. In 1984, he returned to Cairo on vacation and saw the economic damage that had been done and decided to stay.

"Never thinking that I'd be in the position of mayor, I just thought that there was a better way of life for people who live in Cairo, and if I could do anything to make that thought a reality, I needed to be in government," Coleman said.

Coleman is currently serving his second term as mayor.

Download the KFVS News app: iPhone | Android

Copyright 2017 KFVS. All rights reserved.