Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humanity, who in turn transformed fire into a force for good and not evil.
Zeus is the Democratic Party of Illinois and Prometheus is young buck Kevin D. Ryan, a United States Marine Corp veteran, teacher, Oxford and Georgetown graduate, who is running in the Democratic primary for the Illinois Senate.
Kevin campaigning
His story and his youth are aflame as Kevin travels across the State campaigning and gathering petitions in an old school bus he bought for 19 grand as he launched his Promethean campaign.
Like many great men, Kevin grew up on the far Southside of Chicago, mostly in Orland Park, went to Marist HS, where his dad and all his brothers went: legacy grads.
Deployment in Afghanistan
He showed me his bus, tricked out for the campaign with slogan “runwithkev.com” and intends to hit every county in the State of Illinois, taking his message to the working-class folks. He’s got bigger cojones than the entire Illinois General Assembly and he says he wants to get money out of politics.
It's daunting, but something tells me Kevin Ryan is on to something. I ask how old he is, and he chuckles, “I’m 33 years old, the same age as Jesus!”
Kevin Ryan just might be the Messiah the Illinois Democratic Party needs to scrape off the years of larceny, greed, and stupidity promulgated by the old guard who still control this state.
When Kevin speaks, ladies listen
Kevin tells me, “My early years were marked by difficult times with my brother Pat, who battled intense addiction and mental illness. Thankfully, I had some great teachers who helped me through those difficult years. They inspired me to lead a life of service and I became a teacher myself. Pat went in and out of rehab and then found himself in Cook County jail for several months. Shortly after his release, he over-dosed and died at the age of 22.”
Racked by guilt, Kevin says “teaching showed me I could be there for others in ways I couldn’t be for Pat.”
While studying at University of Illinois, Kevin’s peers were being sent to Afghanistan to fight.
“And I felt compelled to do my part. So I joined the Marine Corps Reserve as an infantry officer and balanced deployments while teaching on the south and west sides of Chicago.”
Meeting folks across the state
When he returned from Afghanistan he left his teaching job to study at the University of Oxford.
“I earned a graduate degree in diplomacy that took me to assignments across Europe, The Pentagon, and the U.S .Treasury Department including an assignment working directly for the commanding general of the Marine Corps.”
And oh yeah, while he was in Washington, D.C. Kevin picked up a graduate degree in national security from Georgetown.
Now he is ready to rumble!
Voters Forum
“I think something the Democratic Party needs to do is stop whining…instead of complaining, let’s offer something positive to the people that we can push forward. That’s kind of what I’m trying to do with my campaign, a positive thing, and maybe this is where that positive masculinity comes in.”
One of his key issues is “take the money out of politics." Democrats in Illinois aren’t going to be so happy to hear that. Some Illinois pols have been at the trough forever.
Kevin tells us, “We need publicly funded elections…of my three major opponents one of them has already amassed $23 million for the primary election. How can you say we want to take money out of politics and then raise $23 million because you want to be senator that badly?”
Kevin kicks back on campaign trail
It recalls the adage, “Pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered!”
Kevin righteously says: “Instead of spending millions of dollars on TV ads, I used part of my savings to buy that bus. I’m driving across the state, going to every county, gone to 47 so far out of 102 and I’m just talking to voters where they live and work. Yeah, and that message lands everywhere we go. I’m tapping into my Daniel Burnham who said ‘Make no little plans, they do not have the power to stir men’s souls’…do the bold things.…be the man in the arena. Step forward and carry that positive message forward, and give something, give people something to grasp onto.”
Quixotic? Sure, but I wouldn’t bet against him.
And let’s not forget that the primary election date for Kevin Ryan’s race is March 17, 2026.
Up in heaven his brother Pat will be smiling down from above with Prometheus by his side.
Runwithkev.com
