Democratic candidate for Illinois governor Ameya Pawar has selected Cairo Mayor Tyrone Coleman as his 2018 running mate.

Pawar, who is a Chicago alderman, says in a statement Tuesday that Coleman “embodies the struggle that every Illinois family and town is experiencing.”

Coleman spent 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He founded Faith Incorporated, an organization that serves youth, and says he’s seen the effects of disinvestment on Cairo, calling it “a microcosm of what’s happening around Illinois and around this country.”

Coleman is a pastor and also was a former talk and gospel radio show host. He’s serving his second term as mayor.

Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor must run on the same ticket in Illinois under a state law that took effect in the 2014 election.