© 2026 Peoria Public Radio
A joint service of Bradley University and Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

NIU Will Host Forum For Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates

The Illinois primary election isn’t until next March, but campaigns are going strong. Most Democrats running for governor will take part in a forum Tuesday night at Northern Illinois University.

Kim Gates, a member of DeKalb Stands, says her group -- which helped organize the event -- was formed in reaction to concerns about the presidential election. Now, she says, they see the importance of being engaged politically at every level of government.

"Being engaged in the local communities is really where you can make a difference," she said. "Being that we have a gubernatorial election coming up, it's a very important position that we need to make sure that we have a really strong candidate running." 

Democrats Daniel Biss, Bob Daiber, Tio Hardiman, Chris Kennedy, and Alex Paterakis will take written questions from the audience at the forum. Ameya Pawar and J.B. Pritzker withdrew from the event.

The forum starts at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in NIU’s Carl Sandburg Auditorium in the Holmes Student Center.

Copyright 2021 WNIJ Northern Public Radio. To see more, visit WNIJ Northern Public Radio.

Susan’s parents should have known she’d end up in radio: her favorite toys were tape recorders, cameras, notepads, and books. Many years later, she’s an award-winning reporter at her favorite radio station. Formerly WNIJ’s News Director, she asked to return to the role of full-time reporter/anchor/utility player in 2010 (less paperwork, more reporting!). Her #1 goal is to tell the most compelling stories in the fewest words possible…all the better if a little humor can be thrown into the mix. It should come as no surprise, then, that she can whip up a haiku for any occasion. She also enjoys the Detroit Tigers, learning pioneer skills (Gardening, canning, and the like. Just in case.), traveling with friends, and pretending she’s going to get around to playing her theremin.