Illinois Democratic candidate for governor JB Pritzker officially tapped state Rep. Juliana Stratton as his running mate late Thursday morning, one of the first major candidates to make that decision.

Stratton, a freshman representative only elected to the General Assembly in 2016, was praised by Pritzker in a series of tweets as “a person of genuine empathy, who puts the well being of others ahead of self interest.”

“Juliana engenders respect and admiration as a tireless advocate for those who have been left out or left behind,” Pritzker said in one tweet. He continued: “She’s someone whose kind heart and strong conviction have made her a rolemodel [sic] for women and men who aspire to do big things.”

Before being elected to the General Assembly, Stratton was an adviser to Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, according to The Chicago Tribune who broke the story last night, and has advised her on criminal justice issues.

According to The Tribune, a state law passed before 2014 requires candidates for governor to run together in the primary.

Running mates are often used by candidates to bolster their bid’s credential by adding someone to the ticket who is strong issues that the person at the top of the ticket is not.

For Pritzker—a long-time democratic donor and businessman whose wealth and fortune, instead of his experience, has been a major selling point in a race that is poised to be pricey—that would be his lack of experience holding office and picking a freshman representative may not placate many critics concerns.

But Pritzker commended Stratton for her service as “a former judge, a former local school council member, a leading criminal justice reform advocate a state representative, and even a very accomplished triathlete,” Pritzker said in a tweet.

Pritzker is seen currently as the frontrunner among the crop of eight democrats vying to go head-to-head against Incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner in the general election.

Among the candidates taking on Pritzker in the democratic primary are Ald. Ameya Pawar, state Sen. Daniel Biss, Chris Kennedy, state Rep. Scott Drury, Madison County Superintendent of Schools Bob Daiber and others.