Pritzker on Running Mate: Can You Do the Job?
Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton on Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair in 2024. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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Governor JB Pritzker may just want to go ahead and pick a running mate already.
A month before petitions are to be circulated and about a month before he’s expected to announce a decision on a Lt. Governor if he wins a third term, it seems to be about the only thing the media wants to talk about.
At a news conference Monday on college affordability, Pritzker received at least three questions from the media on his hypothetical running mate, dominating Pritzker’s attention as he took questions.
Pritzker will need to find a replacement for Juliana Stratton, who has announced she’s running for U.S. Senate next year.
“The number one qualification is ‘can you do the job of being Governor?’ Because, if you’re Lt. Governor, that may come to you,” Pritzker said. “The second thing I think about is is the person I might choose for Lt. Governor somebody who has a heart for all the people of Illinois, not just some or some specific segment of the population.”
Pritzker has not spoken publicly about who his new running mate may be, but reports indicate at least two downstaters, former Sen. and current Deputy Governor Andy Manar and Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria) are under consideration.
“We have a big, diverse state and the people who live in Henry County, the people who live in Union County or in places like Effingham or Rockford or Chicago have different opinions about things, they may come from different parties, but when you become Governor of the State of Illinois, you represent all of them,” Pritzker said. “In a campaign, you’re trying to win all the votes. You’re not gonna win them all. Even people who don’t vote for you become your constituents when you become Governor.”
Former Deputy Governor and former State Representative Christian Mitchell and current Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero), who is also the Democratic Party of Illinois Chair, are also reportedly under consideration.
If Pritzker runs for President and is elected in 2028, the Lt. Governor would take over the final two years of the term in 2029.
