Suburban video gambling kingpin Rick Heidner formally joined the fray for the Republican nomination for governor, as Illinois’ candidate-filing period ended Monday ahead of the primary election next March.

The paperwork from Heidner and two other suburbanites made it seven GOP candidates vying for a shot at Gov. JB Pritzker in the billionaire Democrat’s bid for a third term.

They joined a Republican primary field that already included former state Sen. Darren Bailey — who lost handily to Pritzker in the 2022 general election — plus DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, Wirepoints researcher Ted Dabrowski and Broadview resident Gregg Moore.

Heidner signaled his run last month with a $1 million contribution to a new campaign committee. He filed Monday, as did Hazel Crest resident Max Solo

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