Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) is running for a third term and his announcement on Thursday has garnered much criticism.
There has also been speculation Pritzker was going to run for the presidency in 2028, Fox 32 reported.
Meanwhile, he has continuously lambasted President Donald Trump. In February while giving his State of the State address, Pritzker claimed Trump set the kind of tone that resulted in Nazi Germany, per Breitbart News.
The Fox article detailed Pritzker’s leftist leanings that have hurt citizens:
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.
In a video posted Thursday, Pritzker claimed that lawmakers in Washington were only offering voters “chaos and craziness.”
He criticized Trump’s tariffs, claimed lawmakers are stripping healthcare from seniors and working families, and proposing huge deficits “all to give big tax breaks to the wealthy.”
It is important to note that Pritzker is a billionaire whose family owns the Hyatt hotel chain.
In his announcement, Pritzker touted the fact that Illinois banned assault weapons and protected so-called “abortion rights.” He said he is running for re-election to “protect our progress.”
The Illinois Republican Party shared its response to his announcement, the organization Chair Kathy Salvi stating, “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.
“One thing is clear — the only way our state will have actual representation and relief is by voting Republican,” her statement read.
Trump recently leveled heavy criticism on Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) when a reporter asked him about a social media post in which he said federal immigration enforcement should be expanded to major cities, per Fox 32.
“I want them to focus on the cities, because the cities are where you really have what’s called sanctuary cities, and that’s where the people are. I look at New York, I look in Chicago. I mean, you got a really bad governor in Chicago, and a bad mayor. But the governor is probably the worst in the country, Pritzker. But I look at how that city has been overrun by criminals,” he stated.
In May, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem joined Angel Families, whose loved ones have been killed by illegal aliens, in calling on Pritzker to end Illinois’ sanctuary policies, Breitbart News reported.
“People who support sanctuary policies talk about love and compassion. Well, where is the compassion for families that stand behind me?” Noem commented. She added, “For two years, JB Pritkzer has protected individuals like that [illegal alien criminals] so that he can stand up and say that he is a sanctuary city and a sanctuary state. Shame on him.”
