House lawmaker joins Bush as Illinois campaign chair

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) is joining Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign as the Illinois state co-chairman.

“Jeb Bush exemplifies the kind of leadership we need to renew America and to restore our leadership role in the world. He is a man of great character and integrity with a strong record of conservative governing,” Kinzinger said in a statement released by the campaign.

“I am proud to stand with him as his Illinois State Co-Chair so we can get America back on the path toward job creation, rapid economic growth, and a stronger position in the world.”

{mosads}Kinzinger will serve as co-chair along with former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar. The congressman, who served as an Air Force pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan, is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

He first backed Bush in February, months before the former Florida governor officially jumped into the crowded GOP field.

Right to Rise, the super-PAC supporting Bush, raised more than $4 million from Illinois donors, more than any other super-PAC, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Gov. Scott Walker, from nearby Wisconsin, raised the second-most super-PAC money from Illinois. His decision to drop out of the race this week leaves the two largest Illinois super-PAC donors, Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, without a horse in the race.

Bush is in third place in the GOP presidential field, according to the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls.