GOP Criticizes, Pritzker Defends New Hampshire Comments
Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at the University of Illinois at Chicago Monday. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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A line from Governor JB Pritzker’s ratcheted up speech to New Hampshire Democrats this weekend is drawing sharp criticism from Republicans and a full-throated defense from Pritzker himself.
On Sunday, Pritzker spoke to a fundraising dinner hosted by New Hampshire Democrats, seen as another stop for Pritzker as he lays the groundwork for a 2028 campaign for the White House. He called for “mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption” against Republican officials.
“These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace,” he said in the speech. “They must understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have. We must castigate them on the soap box and then punish them at the ballot box.”
Republicans jumped on Pritzker’s comments as “inciting violence” against GOP officials and President Donald Trump.
“JB Pritzker’s ego-driven obsession with becoming President is putting Illinois, and Republicans across the country, at risk,” Illinois GOP Chair Kathy Salvi said in a statement. “His inflammatory and dangerous speech is focused on further dividing our country and I hope to see Illinois Democrats condemn his call for violence.”
“Governor Pritzker's rhetoric has crossed a dangerous line,” said House GOP Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna). “In July, he rightly declared, ‘Violence is never the answer in our democracy.’ Yet now, he calls for mass disruption, declares that Republicans ‘cannot know a moment of peace,’ and urges Americans to ‘become street fighters.’ These are not the words of a unifier—they are the words of someone willing to trade principle for power.”
At an unrelated event Monday, Pritzker defended his statement and called Republican criticisms “ridiculous.”
“I called for people to take out their megaphones and their microphones to stand up on Soapboxes and get to the ballot box in order to defeat the people who are trying to take so many things away from the American people,” Pritzker said. “That has nothing to do with violence.”
Just 18 months ago, a suburban man was arrested and charged with stalking and criminal damage to property after throwing rocks through the window of Pritzker’s Gold Coast mansion while the Governor and First Lady were inside the home.
Pritzker continued to defend his comments when pressed if the “cannot know a moment of peace” statement incited violence.
“That's ridiculous,” he said. “Peaceful protest is what I'm talking about. It's about standing up, speaking out again, using your megaphone, your microphone, whatever you've got. And the peace that I'm talking about is making sure that they know at all times that the American public opposes the policies of congressional Republicans and of the White House.”
