(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Governor JB Pritzker Takes on Donald [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-04-29

Democratic Governor JB Pritzker Says it All in New Hampshire– “It’s Time to Fight (Trump) Everywhere and All At Once” April 29, 2025

Many Democrats have been divided over how to take on Demagogue/Dictator wannabe Donald. With Democrats shut out of the Oval Office, as well as being a minority in the House and Senate, the 23 “Team Blue” governors have been the key to resisting Trump’s second-term anti-democracy moves. Still, there has been division among Democratic governors on how to deal with Donald. Some Democratic governors have been, according to the NY Times, “ham-handed” in confronting Donald. http://ballotpedia.org/Partisan_composition_of_governors ,

nytimes.com/2025/04/27/us/politics/jb-pritzker-2028-new-hampshire-trump-democrats.html However, Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker can not at all be described as part of the “ham-handed” camp. He does not in any way preach reconciliation with the Trump 2.0 administration. Instead, Gov. Pritzker has turned his Land of Lincoln State into a bulwark of opposition to theTrump 2.0 administration’s crackdown on immigration, its cuts to federal government and its employees, and its imposing tariffs on other countries. nytimes.com/2025/04/27/us/politics/jb-pritzker-2028-new-hampshire-trump-democrats.html After a nearly 30-minute April 27, 2025 speech he gave to top New Hampshire Democratic activists, officials, and donors, Gov. Pritzker had them jumping to their feet with hoots and applause. In this speech, Pritzker stated, “It’s time to fight everywhere and all at once.” He added, “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. The reckoning (with Trump’s attacks on our democracy) is finally here.” nytimes.com/2025/04/27/us/politics/jb-pritzker-2028-new-hampshire-trump-democrats.html

Gov. Pritzker’s speech to the Democratic activists at Manchester, NH is not the first time he has made such comments. In recent months, Pritzker has preached similar resistance messages to Democrats across the country. He has delivered the keynote speech at party fund-raisers in Illinois and Austin, TX, and at an annual gala for the Human Rights Campaign in Los Angeles. Next month, he plans to speak at a fund-raising dinner in Detroit for the Michigan Democratic Party. https://ibid In his address, Gov. Pritzker attacked Democrats who, in his book, have been too timid to confront Trump’s anti-democracy actions head on. In his words to the NH crowd, Gov. Pritzker declared, “Fellow Democrats, for far too long we’ve been guilty of listening to a bunch of do-nothing political types who would tell us that America’s house is not on fire, even as the flames are licking their faces. Today, as the blaze reaches the rafters, the pundits and politicians –whose simpering timidity served as kindle for the arsonists–urge us now not to reach for a hose.” https://ibid Translation: Gov. Pritzker has challenged Democrats, including strategist James Carville and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) who argue that “Team Blue” basically “retreat” until Trump’s ratings fall. Well, Trump’s ratings have fallen to the 39%-40% range, numbers that put his GOP in danger of losing the House in 2026 and maybe even the Senate. What on earth are we waiting for to go after Donald now? Kudos, Gov. Pritzker! Let’s look at Gov. Pritzker, his background, and future electoral prospects.

Democrat JB (Jay Bob) Pritzker (60) is currently serving his second term as Governor of Illinois. Atherton, California native Pritzker grew up in the Bay Area of CA where his father moved to enter the hotel business with his brother. JB Pritzker comes from one of America’s wealthiest families. His share of his family’s $33.5 billion fortune, stemming from a variety of holdings, including the Hyatt hotels, is estimated to be $3.6 billion, more than Donald’s fortune. In fact, the Trump and Pritzker families, during the 1970’s, engaged in a legal battle over NY real estate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JB-Pritzker ,

https://www.thealmanacofamericanpolitics

One of Pritzker’s earliest memories was going door-knocking for Democratic candidates with his mother Sue. While running for governor, Pritzker told the Chicago Jewish News that his parents were “very dedicated to social justice.” Having financial success, however, did not shield Pritzker from family tragedy. His father died at age 39 when JB was 7 and his mother struggled with alcoholism until she passed away at 49, when JB was 17. In the decade between their deaths, his family situation was difficult. https://thealmanacofamericanpolitics

After earning his undergraduate degree from Duke University and a law degree from Northwestern, Pritzker worked in D.C. for IL Democratic Senators Alan Dixon and NC’s Terry Sanford. During that time, Pritzker met his wife who was an aide to South Dakota Dem. Sen. Tom Daschle. In 1990, JB and his wife settled in Chicago, the family’s longtime home. Pritzker, along with his brother Anthony, founded the Pritzker Group, a private equity firm. This firm held a stake in SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by Elon Musk. JB’s other sibling Penny, served as Commerce Secretary under Obama. Pritzker additionally founded a digital incubator called 1871, named for the year of the great Chicago fire. Pritzker chaired the Illinois Human Rights Commission. He also helped establish Northwestern’s Center on Wrongful Convictions and the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie. He unsuccessfully ran against Dem. Jan Schakowsky for Congress in a 1998 primary. Pritzker became a major Democratic donor. https://ibid

In 2018, Pritzker ran against IL GOP Governor Bruce Rauner. Wealthy Rauner had the support of GOP hedge fund and later Trump supporter Ken Griffin and other billionaires. However, Rauner lost popularity when he ended up unable to pay bills, after a stalemate with the Democratic legislature. GOPers were also enraged at him for having enacted legislation with Democratic help that required IL to pay for abortions for poor women. Rauner also vetoed legislation to pass a $15 minimum wage. Pritzker spent a record $171.5 million out of his own pocket and defeated high spending Rauner by a 15% margin, 54%-39%. https://ibid

In his first term in office, Gov. Pritzker fulfilled many of his promises. He signed a phased-in minimum wage hike to $15. He also signed a law that would continue allowing abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned “Roe v. Wade.” He signed bills to counter Trump’s anti-immigration stances. These included providing immigrant children with strengthened guardianship protections. He signed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana. This bill had 25% of the tax revenue going toward efforts to boost minority business ownership and 20% going to substance abuse treatment and mental health care. This bill also provided for expungement of smaller-scale marijuana convictions, and Gov. Pritzker pardoned more than 11,000 convicts. https://ibid

Pritzker additionally took quick action against the spread of COVID-19 in 2020. Despite GOP attacks, he issued an early stay-at-home order when just a few COVID deaths had occurred in IL. Pritzker signed the nation’s first statewide law to block police from lying to minors during questioning. He bolstered media literacy. He signed an executive order that required state agencies to pay people with disabilities at least the minimum wage. After a July 4, 2022 mass shooting at Highland Park’s parade where six people were killed and two dozen injured, Gov. Pritzker stated, “This madness must stop.” He signed a ban on selling certain high-powered guns and high capacity magazines. He additionally signed a law guaranteeing over-the-counter access to birth control and another law to repeal mandatory parental notification for minors seeking abortions. After “Roe” was overruled in the Supreme Ct. “Dobbs’” opinion, Pritzker signed a bill to shield patients and providers from being pursued by other states that ban abortion.

https://ibid

In his 2022 re-election race, Gov. Pritzker ran against Trump-endorsed GOP state senator Darren Bailey. Bailey had called Chicago a “hellhole” and an “unruly child.” He also opposed abortion. Pritzker defeated Bailey 55%-43%, a 12% margin. At his second inauguration, Pritzker proposed enshiring abortion in the state’s constitution. He also pushed for making public colleges free for working class families. In March, 2023, he signed a bill mandating paid leave for IL workers.

https://ibid

Pritzker’s success as a mainstream progressive who has enacted much liberal legislation and who has called for strongly taking on Trump and his MAGA views, has received positive notice outside of IL. There is talk that he could be aiming for a 2028 presidential run. Yes, Pritzker would be attacked by GOPers and even some Democrats for being extremely wealthy. But remember, FDR and JFK were also very wealthy and still related to the middle and lower classes. Pritzker can similarly do that. And if he were nominated for President, Pritzker would be the first Jewish presidential candidate. He would then probably have to do what JFK did in taking on the “issue” of his being a Catholic. Pritzker would have to condemn anti-semitism and state that he would always put the interests of the U.S. first, not be more loyal to Israel, an anti-Jewish trope that must always be attacked. He would have to appeal to the fairness of most Americans to treat him on the merits, not condemn him for his ancestry and religion. He will have to remind people, as JFK often did, that the Constitution forbids the imposition of a religious test on people running for office. In any event, Gov. Pritzker should be considered in the mix of Democratic candidates running for the Oval Office in 2028.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/29/2319527/-Governor-JB-Pritzker-Takes-on-Donald?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.