Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker backs VP Kamala Harris for president. What does shift in race mean for his own future?
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Monday, a day after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race for the White House and threw his support behind Harris to replace him on the ticket.
Now halfway through his second term, Pritzker has been recognized as a future White House hopeful, but what does Biden's decision mean for the governor's political future?
All 27 Democratic governors have now endorsed Harris—including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who endorsed her earlier Monday. Pritzker gave the opening remarks for Tech Chicago Week in the Loop Monday night. Earlier, he visited the Democratic National Convention Headquarters in the West Loop, and provided staffers with lunch from Manny's Deli.
The governor also did not comment on his own political ambitions or make remarks to reporters at all on Monday, but he said that he's fully behind Harris, just as he was behind Hillary Clinton in both of her presidential campaigns
He said in part, "I am endorsing Kamala Harris for President and will work hard to get her elected because I believe that she is the most qualified and capable person to be President."
"I also think it's past time we shatter that highest and hardest of glass ceilings and finally elect a woman as President of the United States," Pritzker added.
There has long been speculation that Pritzker has had his sights set on the Oval Office someday.
Monday morning, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin called Pritzker "extraordinarily effective" when asked about whether he'd be a good VP.
"I work with him all the time. He has a lot to offer. I think there's quite a substantial and long list of possibilities," Durbin said.
But Northwestern University Professor of Policy Analysis Erik Nisbet said Pritzker is probably not a great match for Harris.
"I know, have a feeling of who she should pick; and that would be Mark Kelly from Arizona, or one of the governors from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, or North Carolina," he said. "You know, Pritzker. he's from a, you know, deep blue state. I do not think he would be under serious consideration for VP slot."
Elmhurst University Political Science Professor Connie Mixon said it's hard to speculate on who Harris will pick.
"But you can argue that she's likely to pick someone who brings more to the table in terms of building the voting base for the Democrats," she said.
Mixon said, if anything, President Biden's announcement on Sunday extended Pritzker's potential path to the White House.
"I think Pritzker still has a runway to eventually run, but it may, if Harris wins, it may put him back four years, if not eight years," she said.
But she noted that Pritzker does come with a big plus — money. Forbes estimates the governor's wealth at $3.5 billion, making him one of the 1,000 wealthiest people in the world.
Pritzker has given $323.5 million of his own money to his two campaigns for governor, according to the nonprofit Open Secrets.
Pritzker's campaign committee gave $500,000 to the Illinois Democratic Party in March, and Pritzker personally gave $10,000 to the Democratic Party of Pennsylvania in April.
"Pritzker does bring wealth. He can contribute a lot of his own funds. He can leverage his networks and bundle, right? I mean, as a fundraiser, right? So it might not be him giving directly, but obviously his connections," Nisbet said.
In case you're wondering, there are individual limits to how much one person can donate to a single candidate, but there is no limit on how much an individual like Pritzker could donate to a political action committee.
Chicago area expert: Fundraising shows excitement for Harris
Just 24 hours into her campaign, Harris has brought in a whopping $81 million.
"It's not about the amount of money—although of course, money runs campaigns. It's important," said Dr. Suzanne Chod, a political science professor at North Central College.
Chod said there is another interesting fact about the source of the money raised for Harris.
"But the fact that there were 888,000 new donors, and that comprises 60% of the total amount of receipts—that's excitement, right?" she said. "That shows that people who were not mobilized to help—and potentially not mobilized to vote—feel like there's a place in this a campaign for them."
According to the Harris campaign, those were grassroots donors—and more than 500,000 made their first contribution of this presidential cycle.
"The reports are that over 30,000 people have now signed up to volunteer. They're walking into field offices, and they're asking, 'What can I do to help?'" Chod said. "There's a real energy, and that's exactly what the Democratic Party was in need of."
The question now is whether the energy and carry Harris and the Democratic Party to the polls. Some are unenthusiastic.
"She really has been in the shadows and has not done much for the people at all. Look at where our economy is now," said Ravn Rex of Chicago. "I would love to vote for a beautiful African American woman—mixed race, which she is. Unfortunately, she has let us down."
But temporary Chicago resident LaTia Bonney said her main priority as a voter is keeping former President Trump from returning to office.
"I knew that I didn't want Trump to be president, so my 12-year-old child could've ran, and I probably would've voted for my child other than Trump," Bonney said. "So anybody other than Trump."
The money Harris has brought in over the last 24 hours does not include the money she will inherit from the Biden-Harris campaign-which in June sat at $96 million.