Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th) announced through a tweet on Tuesday his intent to run for governor of Illinois in 2018, becoming the first to enter the running for the Democratic nomination.

Pawar tweeted Tuesday morning, “With the blessing of my wife and best friend, I’m in. I’m running for Governor,” along with the link to an exclusive interview he granted to NBC 5 Chicago. He told NBC 5 he decided to run because he is frustrated with seeing “wealth worship” trump “public policy” in the legislature.

First elected to represent the 47th Ward in 2011, Pawar’s ward encompasses the northwestern Ravenswood and North Center neighborhoods. On Chicago City Council, he has prioritized quality public education in his ward, according to NBC 5.

Focusing on progressive politics, Pawar told the Chicago Tribune he hopes to appeal to progressive Democrats who feel disillusioned with politics after the November election results.

Pawar launches his bid with only $50,000 in his campaign fund, according to NBC 5 Chicago, compared with current Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner — who recently contributed $50 million to his own campaign — and potential Democratic challengers J.B. Pritzker and Chris Kennedy, both wealthy businessmen.

Acknowledging the difficulties his inability to self-fund his campaign will bring in seeking the Democratic nomination, Pawar told the Tribune he was “happy” there were other Democrats floating their name for the nomination.

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