* AP…

An adviser says Democratic businessman Chris Kennedy plans to run for Illinois governor in 2018 against Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner.

Hanah Jubeh, a Kennedy campaign adviser, told The Associated Press Wednesday that Kennedy is running.

*** UPDATE 1 ***  Kennedy just called me to confirm the report. He’s in the race.

He said something interesting about the “Because… Madigan!” angle used by the Republicans here. “We may think it’s unique,” to Illinois, he said, but the Republicans are “using it everywhere” to suppress the vote. People are told over and over that “government is broken” and there’s nothing that anyone can do. So, people choose to just tune out, basically, and stay home.

“I can battle that better than just about everybody,” he said. “I can give people reasons to vote.”

The challenge, he said, is not “simply to get more union members or [other demographics] to vote Democratic,” but to “get more people to vote,” and the Democrats will win.

As he was winding down from those remarks and trying to move on to his next call, I asked him to quickly comment on the Senate’s grand bargain. Gov. Rauner, he said, “should show some leadership.”

Anyway, it was a pleasant call and we’ll be sitting down for a more formal interview soon.

* Meanwhile, here’s his announcement video. Rate it…

*** UPDATE 2 *** Formal statement…

Today I will file my formal paperwork to the State Board of Elections, launching my campaign for Governor of Illinois.

What once made our country different from any place on earth was the notion that anyone could make it here - that America was the land of opportunity. But today, if you’re born poor in America, you will almost certainly stay poor. The American Dream is slipping away and it’s up to us to keep this fundamental promise.

I love this state, and I’m running for governor because we can do better. Together we can restore the American Dream in Illinois in a single generation. Watch the video below to learn more, then share it with your friends and family to encourage them to join our campaign.

We have a tough task ahead: taking on a governor who has put Illinois in the worst shape it’s been since I moved here thirty years ago. I feel called to serve at this moment because I know we can do better. Through my previous work at The Merchandise Mart, through Top Box Foods, the nonprofit hunger relief organization I co-founded with my wife Sheila, and through my involvement in dozens of civic and service organizations, I have brought people together to solve complicated problems for a common good.

Compromise is not surrender. We can fix the immediate budget crisis facing our state. If we are willing to work together, mothers and babies will have early access to health care and nutrition. Early childhood education for all Illinoisans can be a priority again, and K-12 education can be paid for at the state level so every child in our state receives an equal, quality education. I want to give everyone access to higher education or trade school, and prepare the next generation of Illinoisans to be productive members of a healthy economy. If we can put stubbornness aside, we can act on a shared vision for making Illinois a place where everyone can succeed.

We can restore the future and keep the promise of this state. Let’s get to work.

Thank you for joining me on the journey ahead,

Chris