A candidate vying for the Democratic nomination for governor in Illinois dropped his running mate on Wendesday, after it was reported that the latter supported the anti-Israel boycott campaign.

State Sen. Daniel Biss said that he will replace Chicago alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa with a new running mate, Chicago’s NBC 5 reported, less than a week after selecting the alderman. Following the revelation, influential Rep. Brad Schneider (D – Ill.) withdrew his endorsement of Biss.

“Growing up with an Israeli mother, grandparents who survived the Holocaust, and great-grandparents who did not survive, issues related to the safety and security of the Jewish people are deeply personal to me,” Biss said in a statement explaining his decision. “I strongly support a two-state solution. I support Israel’s right to exist, and I support Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. I also care deeply about justice for Palestinians, and believe that a vision for the Middle East must include political and economic freedom for Palestinians.”

“That’s why I oppose the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, or BDS,” Biss continued, “as I believe it moves us further away from a peaceful solution.”

Biss said that when he originally interviewed Ramirez-Rosa to be his running mate, the alderman indicated that he too opposed BDS, however, “it’s become clear that Carlos’ position has changed,” and that “it simply wasn’t the understanding we shared when I asked him to join the ticket.”

[Photo: New America / Flickr]