Who is Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and is he being considered for the 2024 ticket?
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee for the White House, after President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris on Sunday.
Pritzker has been floated as a possible running mate for Harris, along with a handful of other prominent Democrats, but he told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Tuesday that he has not received any vetting materials from the Harris campaign.
When asked if he would be interested in running for vice president if the Harris campaign approached him, Pritzker was noncommittal.
"I love being the governor of the state of Illinois, and I've been out on the campaign trail fighting hard for Democrats. I'm going to continue to do that, and I'm very interested in making sure that Kamala Harris becomes the next president of the United States," he said.
Pritzker on Monday endorsed Harris' bid to be the new Democratic nominee for president, calling her "the most qualified and capable person to be President," and adding "it's past time we shatter that highest and hardest of glass ceilings and finally elect a woman as President of the United States."
"Vice President Harris has proven, at every point in her career, that she possesses the skills, strength, and character to lead this country and the vision to better the lives of all Americans From protecting women's rights to defending American workers and strengthening the middle class, Vice President Harris is a champion of the American values we hold dear. She represents our Party's best chance to defeat Donald Trump in November, and I will work my heart out to help her do that," Pritzker said.
Pritzker is one of several people whose names have been floated as the Democratic Party works to solidify their ticket in the 2024 race — including, aside from Harris, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock.
Pritzker's political and personal background
Pritzker, 59, was first elected governor in 2018, defeating Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner. Before that, the was a longtime donor to the Democratic party, and a prominent philanthropic donor.
With his substantial wealth, progressive stances, and growing national profile since taking office, Pritzker could prove to be an appealing choice for Democrats as Biden's replacement on the ticket.
Pritzker was a major supporter of both of Hillary Clinton's campaigns for president in 2008 and 2016. He and his wife, MK Pritzker, contributed more than $15 million to the pro-Clinton Priorities USA Action PAC during the 2016 campaign, according to federal campaign finance records.
An heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, founded by his uncle Jay Pritzker, the governor has an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion, according to Forbes. He largely self-funded both his campaigns for governor, spending more than $171 of his personal fortune on his first run in 2018, and another $152 million on his reelection bid in 2022.
Before becoming governor, Pritzker co-founded a successful venture capital firm, Pritzker Group, and the non-profit digital startup incubator 1871, which supports entrepreneurs in building new businesses.
If elected, he'd become the first Jewish president.
JB Pritzker's progressive record
As governor, Pritzker has championed several high-profile progressive causes, including:
- Legalizing recreational marijuana in Illinois.
- Raising the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour.
- Eliminating cash bail.
- Protecting access to abortion in Illinois after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
He also championed a progressive income tax that would have raised taxes on people earning more than $250,000 a year, while lowering taxes for the vast majority of Illinois taxpayers. While his proposal failed, it would provide a strong contrast to Republican plans to cut taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans.
Pritzker's rise came with a few controversies
Pritzker's rise to political prominence did not come without its controversies, most notably during his first campaign, when it was revealed he removed toilets from a Chicago mansion he owned to lower his property taxes.
The governor ultimately repaid the $330,000 in property tax breaks he received on the mansion, but defended taking the deduction, insisting he had followed the rules.
Pritzker's history includes fights with Trump
As a surrogate for Biden early in the campaign, Pritzker has not been shy about attacking Trump.
"Donald Trump is a convicted felon, an adjudicated rapist and a congenital liar," Pritzker said in a video posted to X on June 9 after Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsification of business records in New York. "He's a racist, sexist, misogynistic narcissist who wants to use the levers of power to enrich himself and punish anyone who dares speak a word against him."
Pritzker's attack on Trump led to a tirade from the former president.
"Sloppy JB Pritzker, the Rotund Governor from the once great State of Illinois, who makes Chris Christie look like a male model, and whose family wanted him out of the business because he was so pathetic at helping them run it, has presided over the destruction and disintegration of Illinois," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
Pritzker then countered.
"Gosh, the convicted felon insulting me and Milwaukee in the same week. Is it because we are both hosting conventions full of people who can't stand him?" Pritzker said on X.
Pat Brady, former chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, said Pritzker has shown an ability to get under Trump's skin.
"Takes some pretty good shots if you saw what he said after the verdict came in," Brady said in June. "It was a brutal shot. It was effective and again, he gets into Trump's head pretty easily."
Brady said if a politician is set on taking on Trump, they'll have to do so "in a matter that may not be the most pleasant, but it may be the most effective." He credited Pritzker's defensive posture, one that Trump's 2016 opponents didn't take, which in the end, cost them.
"If you don't punch back, you're not being heard," Brady said. "To deal with Trump effectively, you have to punch back, otherwise he dominates the airwaves and he sucks oxygen out of the media world."
Pritzker caught on hot microphone saying "I don't like where we are"
While Pritzker continued to back Biden's bid for a second term until the president announced he was dropping out of the race, he was caught on a hot microphone earlier this month, apparently expressing concern about the state of the race for the White House.
"I mean, we're just going to keep fighting. I don't know what to say. You know, got to do what we have to do," Pritzker was heard saying to a man at the event. "I don't like where we are, but..."
Jordan Abudayyeh, deputy chief of communications for Gov. Pritzker's office, said it "sounds like [Pritzker] was talking about the state of the presidential race."
