[This post has been bumped up from Wednesday night for visibility. Content has been added as well.]

* I was going to post something later tonight, per agreement, but the worst kept secret of the day is now out…

Dem Gov candidate JB Pritzker has chosen state Rep Juliana Stratton to be his running mate.

— Rick Pearson (@rap30) August 10, 2017

* I think if I had to choose a running mate for Pritzker, or any other Democratic gubernatorial candidate for that matter, it would be Rep. Stratton (D-Chicago).

1) She’s a woman, obviously. It’s an all-male field right now and lots more females vote in Democratic primaries than men.

2) She’s an African-American female. African-Americans make up a huge chunk of the Democratic primary electorate and black women are the party’s most hardcore of hardcore supporters.

3) She’s relatively new to politics. Rep. Stratton hasn’t really been around long enough to do something stupid or ethically questionable.

4) She works hard and she’s already vetted. Remember, she was the victor of an incredibly hard-fought, multi-million-dollar Democratic primary last year against Rep. Ken Dunkin. She was tireless, and if there was something there, we’d probably already know about it.

5) She was personally endorsed by President Barack Obama in the 2016 primary. How many Illinois lt. governor candidates can say that?

6) She’s smart, is an accomplished public speaker and has an engaging personality. Nuff said.

All of those advantages in the primary can also be applied to the general.

Yeah, she was backed by Speaker Madigan against Dunkin, but Pritzker is going to be tagged as the Madigan candidate no matter what, so does it really matter?

And, yeah, she’s a “Chicago Democrat.” That will help in the primary, but could have an impact in the general. Even so, Pat Quinn failed to adequately turn out the city and he lost.

Anyway, maybe I’m wrong. Correct me if you think I am. I’m all ears.

…Adding… Something else to consider for the primary is that SEIU and AFSCME were huge supporters of her race against Dunkin last year. Neither of those unions have yet made an endorsement and they aren’t exactly big fans of billionaires. So, she at least gives Pritzker a shot with them.

Does this win the primary for Pritzker? Of course not. There’s a long way to go, campers, but she’s a solid choice all around.

* Related…

* Sneed: Pritzker poised to get Cook County Dems’ endorsement for gov

* Pritzker picks freshman state Rep. Stratton as running mate

* J.B. Pritzker to name Rep. Juliana Stratton as running mate

* Lynn Sweet: Pritzker gets boost from Stratton pick for running mate: Though Obama is not expected to get tangled up in the large field running for Illinois governor, the Pritzker/Stratton ticket can certainly talk about – it would be political malpractice if they did not – the the Obama endorsement for Stratton that helped her defeat now-former State Rep. Ken Dunkin, D-Chicago in March 2016.

*** UPDATE ***  The campaign has released a new video…

And the new logo…

pic.twitter.com/qJb3UpySv7

— Tahman Bradley (@tahmanbradley) August 10, 2017