Will the third time be a charm for Bill Brady? He hopes so. The Illinois senator announced his third bid for governor on June 26, 2013. Brady began his political career in 1992, serving in the Illinois House of Representatives. In 2002, he was appointed to the state Senate after an unsuccessful run for Congress two years earlier. The Bloomington native ran for governor in 2006 but came in third in a crowded primary. He ran again in 2010 and won his party’s nomination, defeating State Sen. Kirk Dillard by 193 votes. Brady lost the general election to incumbent Pat Quinn by less than 1 percentage point. Brady was named Assistant Senate Republican Leader in February 2011. He is in favor of repealing the income tax increase that is set to expire at the end of 2014. He voted against a same-sex marriage bill this past spring. Brady voted in favor of House Speaker Michael Madigan’s pension plan and against Senate President John Cullerton’s bill.
- Watch Brady’s June 27, 2013 appearance on Chicago Tonight
- Watch Brady’s Jan. 20, 2014 appearance on Chicago Tonight
View a timeline of his political career: