Latest news with #JB Pritzker
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
JB Pritzker announces re-election campaign for Illinois governor
The Brief Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday he's running for a third term, highlighting gains in fiscal stability, abortion access, and worker protections. He launched his campaign with a statewide tour and a video contrasting Illinois' progress with Washington's dysfunction. Pritzker, seen as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, may need a new running mate as Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton runs for U.S. Senate. CHICAGO - Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday that he will run for a third term, pledging to build on the economic and social progress his administration has made since taking office in 2019. Pritzker, 60, launched his campaign with a video titled "Keep Illinois Moving Forward," positioning the state's gains under his leadership — from balanced budgets to abortion access — as a stark contrast to what he called "chaos in Washington." "These days, Illinois is standing at the center of the fight: the fight to make life more affordable, the fight to protect our freedoms, the fight for common sense," Pritzker said in a statement. "We don't just talk about problems. In Illinois, we solve them. Because we know government ought to stand up for working families and be a force for good, not a weapon of revenge. Pritzker addressed a crowd of his supporters at a rally Thursday morning at Grand Crossing Park in Chicago, the site of his initial campaign launch in 2017. Pritzker begins his re-election push with a two-day tour across the state that includes stops in Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, Belleville, and West Frankfort. Illinois does not impose term limits on governors. The last governor to serve three terms was Republican Jim Thompson, who held office from 1977 to 1991. Dig deeper While speculation has grown about Pritzker's plans for another run next year, his name has been thrown around as a potential presidential candidate in 2028. Running for re-election as governor could make for awkward timing if he tries to run for the presidency halfway through a third term. Pritzker, 60, was first elected in 2018, defeating one-term incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican. During his first term, he oversaw the passage of several progressive measures, from recreational marijuana legalization, codifying abortion rights, and a $50 billion infrastructure package. He also led the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other pieces of legislation have been controversial, especially among more conservative voters. The state did away with cash bond, a reform critics have argued would allow people accused of crimes to be set free from jail. The governor also pushed for a change in the state's personal income tax code to allow for a graduated rate system, but voters rejected the proposal in 2020. The governor went on to easily win re-election in 2022 over former downstate Republican State Sen. Darren Bailey. The other side ILGOP Chairman Kathy Salvi released the following statement after Pritzker's announcement: "JB Pritzker's first two terms have been nothing short of a total failure. He's prioritized illegal immigrants over Illinois families, hiked taxes, and rammed through the largest, most bloated budget in state history. He has used and abused the fine people of Illinois, allowing heavy handed government to meddle in the lives and safety of ordinary Illinoisans. These last nearly eight years under his governance merits firing not rehiring. While businesses and families flee, Pritzker sees Illinois as nothing more than a stepping stone for the White House." Big picture view Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune who is worth about $3.7 billion according to Forbes, has also been making more of a name for himself on the national stage in recent months. He's earned headlines for calling out "do nothing Democrats" during a speech in New Hampshire, a key primary election state, and going on late night talk shows. Earlier this month, he appeared with two other Democratic governors in front of the U.S. House Oversight Committee to field questions about Illinois' sanctuary city laws originally passed under his predecessor. He excoriated House Republicans after the hearing for accomplishing "nothing" after hours of partisan back-and-forth jabs. Pritzker has also been a frequent and vocal critic of President Donald Trump. Most recently, Pritzker compared the Trump administration to the Nazi regime during his budget address in February. He also called out Trump's accelerating of immigration enforcement around the state, including Chicago. Trump has at times returned fire. Earlier this month, when fielding questions about his immigration policies, Trump called Pritzker "probably the worst in the country." Another campaign for governor also means that Pritzker will likely have to select a new running mate because his current lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, is running for an open U.S. Senate seat. The Source The information in this story came from Gov. JB Pritzker's office and previous FOX 32 reporting.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Pritzker is running for re-election. Follow his stops throughout Illinois
Gov. JB Pritzker officially announced his re-election campaign in a news release June 26, with rallies scheduled across the state including Chicago, Rockford, Peoria and Springfield. 'These days, Illinois is standing at the center of the fight: the fight to make life more affordable, the fight to protect our freedoms, the fight for common sense,' the governor said in a release. 'We don't just talk about problems. In Illinois, we solve them. Because we know government ought to stand up for working families and be a force for good, not a weapon of revenge." The billionaire Democrat is often seen as a foil to President Donald Trump, who he often spars with verbally, while Pritzker himself has been touted a candidate for president. Still a mystery is who Pritzker, seeking a third term will choose as his lieutenant governor. Others are reading: Pritzker signs $55.1B state budget reliant on $700M of new taxes Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton announced her plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Springfield. Pritzker, 60, has other stops slated for Belleville and West Frankfort on Friday. The plan drew swift reaction from Illinois GOP chairwoman Kathy Salvi who said in a statement released June 26 that Pritzker's first two terms have been "nothing short of a total failure." This story will be updated. Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@ X, This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: JB Pritzker is running for a third term as governor of Illinois
CBS News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to announce run for third term this week, source says
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will announce this week that he is running for a third term, a person familiar with the governor's plans confirmed Tuesday. The announcement will take place on Thursday, the sources said. Pritzker, a Democrat, was first elected to office in 2018, defeating incumbent Republican Gov. Brue Rauner. In 2022, Pritzker won a second term in office, defeating Republican Darren Bailey. There has been speculation in recent months that he might run for president in the future — particularly following a speech in April in which he took to task both President Trump and the shortcomings within his own Democratic Party.
New York Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
JB Pritzker to Seek Third Term as Illinois Governor
Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois is expected this week to announce a bid for re-election in 2026, according to two people close to his campaign. The announcement, expected to come on Thursday, opens the chance that Mr. Pritzker will have a third term in the governor's office while not ruling out the possibility of a presidential run in 2028. The two people who described the plans asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak about it publicly. Mr. Pritzker, 60, a Democrat and billionaire hotel heir, has emerged as one of the most vocal national figures on the left since President Trump returned to office, sparring with Mr. Trump on policy and urging fellow Democrats to fight back against his agenda. 'It's time to fight everywhere and all at once,' he told a group of Democrats in the early presidential primary state of New Hampshire this spring. 'Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. But I am now. These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace.' In Illinois, the sixth most-populous state in the country, Mr. Pritzker has pushed policies to the left, expanding abortion rights, increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour and signing into law the legalization of recreational marijuana. He has been a vocal supporter of sanctuary policies for immigrants, including a state law that was signed by his predecessor, Bruce Rauner, a Republican. Mr. Pritzker signed legislation aimed at strengthening rights for residents who are undocumented or immigrants, part of a promise to make Illinois a 'firewall' against Mr. Trump's deportation efforts. Earlier this month, Mr. Pritzker testified on immigration policy in Washington before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, saying that Illinois would 'not participate in abuses of power' at the behest of federal immigration officials. In 2023, Mr. Pritzker founded Think Big America, a nonprofit that supports abortion rights. He has recruited companies to the state and helped build investments in quantum computing, but has had mixed success with some corporate interests, who have chafed at the state's high taxes, fiscal instability and deep pension problems. Mr. Pritzker has also struggled to win over rural downstate residents, many of whom see him as a wealthy, liberal Chicagoan who is out of step with their concerns. Mr. Pritzker will not have to depend on donors to power a third campaign. He is able to largely self-fund his runs for office with his family fortune. He spent $350 million on his first two campaigns, the Chicago Tribune reported. He easily won a second term in 2022 with 55 percent of the vote. Illinois governors rarely serve more than one or two terms: The last governor to be elected to a third term was James R. Thompson, a Republican who held the job from 1977 to 1991.
The Independent
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Democratic governors will defend immigration policies before Republican-led House panel
As President Donald Trump spars with California's governor over immigration enforcement, Republicans in Congress are calling other Democratic governors to the Capitol on Thursday to question them over policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform posted a video ahead of the hearing highlighting crimes allegedly committed by immigrants in the U.S. illegally and pledging that 'sanctuary state governors will answer to the American people." The hearing is to include testimony from Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Kathy Hochul of New York. There's no legal definition of a sanctuary jurisdiction, but the term generally refers to governments with policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Courts previously have upheld the legality of such laws. But Trump's administration has sued Colorado, Illinois, New York and several cities — including Chicago and Rochester, New York — asserting their policies violate the U.S. Constitution or federal law. Illinois, Minnesota and New York also were among 14 states and hundreds of cities and counties recently listed by the Department of Homeland Security as 'sanctuary jurisdictions defying federal immigration law.' The list later was removed from the department's website after criticism that it errantly included some local governments that support Trump's immigration policies. As Trump steps up immigration enforcement, some Democratic-led states have intensified their resistance by strengthening state laws restricting cooperation with immigration agents. Following clashes between crowds of protesters and immigration agents in Los Angeles, Trump deployed the National Guard to protect federal buildings and agents, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom accused Trump of declaring 'a war' on the underpinnings of American democracy. The House Oversight Committee has long been a partisan battleground, and in recent months it has turned its focus to immigration policy. Thursday's hearing follows a similar one in March in which the Republican-led committee questioned the Democratic mayors of Chicago, Boston, Denver and New York about sanctuary policies. Heavily Democratic Chicago has been a sanctuary city for decades. In 2017, then-Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, signed legislation creating statewide protections for immigrants. The Illinois Trust Act prohibits police from searching, arresting or detaining people solely because of their immigration status. But it allows local authorities to hold people for federal immigration authorities if there's a valid criminal warrant. Pritzker, who succeeded Rauner in 2019, said in remarks prepared for the House committee that violent criminals 'have no place on our streets, and if they are undocumented, I want them out of Illinois and out of our country.' 'But we will not divert our limited resources and officers to do the job of the federal government when it is not in the best interest of our state, our local communities, or the safety of our residents,' he said. Pritzker has been among Trump's most outspoken opponents and is considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate. He said Illinois has provided shelter and services to more than 50,000 immigrants who were sent there from other states. A Department of Justice lawsuit against New York challenges a 2019 law that allows immigrants illegally in the U.S. to receive New York driver's licenses and shields driver's license data from federal immigration authorities. That built upon a 2017 executive order by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo that prohibited New York officials from inquiring about or disclosing a person's immigration status to federal authorities, unless required by law. Hochul's office said law enforcement officers still can cooperate with federal immigration authorities when people are convicted of or under investigation for crimes. Since Hochul took office in 2021, her office said, the state has transferred more than 1,300 incarcerated noncitizens to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the completion of their state sentences. Minnesota doesn't have a statewide sanctuary law protecting immigrants in the U.S. illegally, though Minneapolis and St. Paul both restrict the extent to which police and city employees can cooperate with immigration enforcement. Some laws signed by Walz have secured benefits for people regardless of immigration status. But at least one of those is getting rolled back. The Minnesota Legislature, meeting in a special session, passed legislation Monday to repeal a 2023 law that allowed adults in the U.S. illegally to be covered under a state-run health care program for the working poor. Walz insisted on maintaining eligibility for children who aren't in the country legally, ___ Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Mo. Also contributing were Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre in Albany, N.Y.; Steve Karnowski in St. Paul, Minn.; and Sophia Tareen in Chicago.
