Is the Governor's Race Between Pritzker and...Trump?
Governor JB Pritzker celebrates his re-election in Chicago in 2022. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
It’s no surprise to anyone, really, that Governor JB Pritzker is contemplating a run for President in 2028 (with a launch likely coming in 2027) all while Pritzker runs for a third term as Governor this November.
Tuesday, Pritzker did little to quell those expectations and may have given observers a window into how he will approach his campaign this fall against underfunded Republican Darren Bailey.
“We have to restore and also improve the trajectory of the United States, and many of the problems we’re currently facing, we faced in Illinois,” Pritzker said in an interview with Punchbowl News, a D.C.-insider focused news outlet.
“That’s a pretty obvious pitch to the Democratic establishment,” one top Illinois Democratic insider told The Illinoize Tuesday.
But, Pritzker still has to win a race for a third term in November, something no Democrat in the history of the state has done.
Some Democrats believe Pritzker may use November’s campaign to “blow past” Bailey and message his entire campaign around President Donald Trump, who Pritzker has often quarreled with since 2019.
Pritzker defeated Bailey by around 13 points in 2022 and the Bailey campaign is struggling to raise money against the billionaire incumbent this time around.
“If you’re the Pritzker campaign, why do you even bother with Bailey? He’s not a serious opponent,” said a Democratic strategist who is not affiliated with the Pritzker campaign. “There’s no point in punching down.”
Pritzker’s comments to Punchbowl and at a press conference while signing the state budget Tuesday continued slinging arrows in Trump’s direction.
Many top Democrats believe Pritzker himself will hardly mention Bailey between now and November, instead using his bully pulpit to raise his national profile.
While his campaign has issued multiple press releases and made multiple social media posts attacking Bailey, Pritzker has rarely mentioned his name. As of Tuesday night, Pritzker’s campaign has posted 17 videos on social media where Pritzker is speaking to camera. In ten of those videos, Pritzker criticizes Trump or the Trump administration. Seven videos are about events or issues related to Pritzker, including two videos this weekend at the Puerto Rican People’s Day parade in Chicago.
Bailey is not mentioned in any of those videos. The last time Pritzker personally mentions Bailey by name on his social media channels came in late May.
Insiders believe ignoring Bailey and directly criticizing Trump will help boost Democratic candidates in the Chicago suburbs, where Trump is particularly unpopular and can act as a bit of a proto-campaign for his impending 2028 launch.
In a statement, the Pritzker campaign didn’t specifically address their strategy, but did attack Bailey.
“Darren Bailey is a MAGA extremist whose views and values warrant intense scrutiny. Governor Pritzker will continue to remind Illinoisans about Bailey’s dangerous track record, and why Bailey is too extreme for Illinois. That Bailey would be a rubber stamp for whatever chaos Trump sends our way is only one of many* reasons he’s wrong for Illinois,” spokesman Alex Gough said. “Illinoisans know that Governor Pritzker will stand up for them. Whether that’s in the face of an invasion from the federal government, or an extremist like Bailey who’d drag Illinois backward.”
For his part, Bailey has criticized Pritzker for his national interests, including on social media last week, writing “Where is JB Pritzker?”
“He’s not in Illinois,” the post read. “He’s out of state making a presidential stump speech as the house burns down and Indiana celebrates swiping the Bears. We deserve better.”
Sources say Pritzker’s team is unconcerned about the attacks on those presidential ambitions and believe his significant financial advantage will “drown out” Bailey’s criticisms.
