Your Questions...Answered!
Governor JB Pritzker at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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OPINION
I like to periodically open it up to your questions. Thanks to all who submitted. We’re not going to use any names to protect identities and employers and biases and all that stuff. Don’t worry, there is plenty of opinion to be found here.
Is JB Pritzker running for re-election?
At this point, your guess is as good as mine.
He is certainly not closing the door, but he has indicated he hasn’t made his mind up and that it is a possibility that he doesn’t run. Most pundits seem to think he will run for re-election and immediately try to parlay that into his 2028 presidential bid.
I continue to believe he doesn’t run for re-election. I don’t think it has anything to do with winning or losing, he’d be the odds on favorite to win re-election, but the real question is whether sticking around as Governor really helps his presidential prospects.
If you’re a potential Democratic candidate for president and you cut programs (like the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program he has proposed zeroing out), you’re only angering Democratic activists in primary states. But, if he’s raising taxes for a bunch of new spending, that hurts him in a General Election. He’s kind of in a no-win situation if he runs again.
My best guess is we find out next month.
If Pritzker runs again, he needs a new running mate. Who does he choose?
No reporting here, just speculation. I think Deputy Governor and former State Senator Andy Manar makes a ton of sense. He’s already completely familiar with the ins and outs of state government and negotiates the budget on the Governor’s behalf. If Pritzker is elected president, Manar slides right into the big chair in January, 2029 ready to do the job.
But, he’s a white downstate male and that plays a role in today’s Democratic identity politics. There would certainly be a push for an African American or Latina woman. In that case, you’d probably see names like Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago), Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago), or Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria) pop up.
If Pritzker doesn’t run for re-election, who runs?
God, everyone else. Surely a Mendoza or Giannoulias get in the race. Mike Frerichs, probably. Kwame Raoul (AG stands for Aspiring Governor, ya know). A ton of Senate Democrats are midterm, so they have every incentive to take a shot. It could make the Senate field look tiny.
Why does state government always raise spending during good times and raise taxes to make up for the shortfall during bad times? Seems like we can never get ahead.
I hate to make this too simplistic, but Democrats want to do more with more and Republicans want to do less with less. I had a progressive tell me this spring that voters elected a Democratic supermajority to do progressive things, not to enact austerity.
I’m sure you liked Governor Edgar’s comments this week about Trump and the importance of civility, compromise, and compassion. But, shouldn’t he be holding JB Pritzker to the same standard?
That’s a fair point. And while Governor Pritzker and his team can absolutely be considered arrogant or egotistical and dismissive of those who disagree with them, I think Edgar sees someone competent in the job, which he never saw in Bruce Rauner and certainly doesn’t see in Donald Trump.
Who is the favorite in the U.S. Senate race?
Today, I don’t know. If Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville) gets in the race, you have three Black, female, progressive women vying for the Democratic nomination, which could significantly split the vote and create a lane wide enough for Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Schaumburg) to drive a truck through.
It appears likely all of the Democratic candidates vying for Senator Dick Durbin’s seat will come from the Chicago area. What can we who live downstate do to make sure we are not forgotten by these candidates as they stump for our votes? After all, we’re citizens of Illinois, too.
I mean, in the 2016 Democratic Senate primary, 58% of the primary vote came from Cook County. They’re going to focus where the votes are.
What is Congressman Darin LaHood planning?
Whatever it is, it probably isn’t a run for Senate. While he left the possibility of running for Senate open in his statement after Durbin’s retirement announcement, I’ve been told by people close to him that he’s “unlikely” to enter the race. Pretty good fundraising tool, though.
Will Republicans run any serious competitors in statewide races in 2026?
Probably not. Maybe someone like Richard Porter can catch fire, but it’s still a longshot. A GOP operative told me recently that their numbers showed a Republican starts at a 12-point disadvantage in Illinois with Donald Trump in office. No serious competitor is facing those headwinds.
What congressional district do you live in?
I ain’t runnin’.
Do you think the legislature will agree on a budget before adjournment time, preferably not in the early hours of said morning?
The wee small hours of the morning is par for the course these days. I think they’ll get there by the 31st, but it won’t be easy. But, there’s a lot of concern about Medicaid cuts, federal cuts, recession, etc, that could call for special session this summer. Greeeaaaaat.
