Illinois Election: Having won reelection after rancorous race, Gov. Pritzker says he's open to working with Republicans
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Once the polls closed, took only minutes for Democratic incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker to be called the winner of the 2022 Illinois gubernatorial race.
Pritzker beat his Republican opponent, Illinois state Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), by 11 percentage points after a very heated and expensive race.
CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported Pritzker was likely more surprised by how quickly the race was over than by the fact that he won.
Surprised or not, Pritzker's quickly-called Election Night victory was met by cheers from several hundred supporters.
Fourteen hours later, he was ready to get back to work. Pritzker took questions about his reelection for the first time Wednesday morning.
"As we embark on a second term, my administration will me laser-focused on continuing to rebuild Illinois – an Illinois that works for everyone," Pritzker said Wednesday.
He said he is grateful to serve another four years, and believes his victory is a repudiation of the GOP's rightward swing.
While Pritzker beat Bailey by 11 points, Pritzker's margin of victory was actually narrower this year than in 2018, when he beat Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner by almost 16 points.
The 2018 race was a heated one – ending with not only a victory, but a concession call from Bailey – albeit a quick one that only lasted about 30 seconds.
"I said, 'Senator Bailey.' He said, 'Governor, I want to congratulate you.' I said, 'Thank you very much – that's very kind of you,' and he said, 'Okay then.'" Pritzker said. "That's the entire call."
The race was not only costly, but divisive. Both sides spent more than $100 million on their campaigns – and most of the rhetoric was blatantly partisan. But Pritzker said he hopes the partisan divide in the state will soften over the next four years. However, he said he will not compromise his own ideals.
"I'm open to working with Republicans on good, rational, solid ideas for the future of the state – and yeah, compromise is a good thing," Pritzker said.
Meanwhile, Bailey was not the only Republican to lose. Democrats performed well across the state – defeating many Republicans who, like Bailey, supported or were supported by former President Donald Trump.
Kozlov asked Pritzker whether he thinks the Illinois GOP should or might start moving away from Mr. Trump's platform – given the results Tuesday night.
"Clearly, they should move away from the Donald Trump platform," Pritzker said – adding that such views do not represent the majority of people in Illinois.
Many also noticed the tone of Pritzker's state victory speech sounded almost like one meant for a national stage – again prompting the question, does he plan to run for president?
"I commit to you that I'm, you know, planning to be the governor for the next four years," Pritzker said.
But he used the word "planning" – and plans, of course, can change.
Pritzker also believes some key issues played into the election results in Illinois Tuesday night – including the fight over women's reproductive rights.