Gov. JB Pritzker was just “JB” to me during our many interviews and chats in the early 2000s when I was ABC7’s political reporter and he was presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton’s Illinois campaign spokesman, and later, in 2009, when I left TV to run the struggling Better Government Association, and he wrote the first big philanthropic check to kickstart our revitalization effort.
Our paths diverged in subsequent years, and we haven’t talked much lately. But I’ve followed and intermittently admired his trajectory locally and nationally, and want to share a few thoughts about his future.
Pritzker appears to be considering a run for the White House in 2028, but first he has another big decision to make: Seek reelection for a third term as governor in 2026 and risk spending two more years defending Illinois’ economic struggles, or step aside and let a gaggle of other Democrats duke it out while he focuses on a national campaign for president.
For a man who has already put his money, time and considerable influence behind national Democratic politics, it’s a no-brainer: He should sit out 2026. Why? Because running Illinois for part of another term would be a political minefield.
Pritzker has plenty of generalities to tout in a Demcratic presidential primary: Progressive policies, big spending on infrastructure, a solid pandemic response and a willingness to take on Donald Trump and other national Republicans.
He’s a bold presence in a party that often seems hesitant to wield power as aggressively as the GOP.
But his record in Illinois is also a liability. If he runs again, he’ll be forced to defend an ugly reality: Illinois remains a state with some of the highest taxes in the country, a poor business climate, anemic job creation and an ongoing exodus of companies, wealthy residents and middle-class families. That’s not the kind of resume a presidential hopeful wants.
Pritzker can spin his record all he wants, but the numbers don’t lie: The state still has a $142 billion pension crisis that hasn’t been meaningfully addressed; corporate headquarters keep packing up and leaving — Boeing, Caterpillar and Citadel all fled under his watch; and Illinoisans are sagging under high property taxes, many of those dollars feeding the most units of government of any state — a bureaucratic bloat and tax siphon that only accelerates the steady business and population decline.
People and businesses vote with their feet, and too many have decided to walk.
If Pritzker seeks reelection, his opponents — both Illinois Republicans and opposition Democrats, if there are any — will hammer him. And while Illinois is a deep-blue state, meaning he’d likely win, another term would do nothing to improve his presidential chances.
Instead, it could create new vulnerabilities. Opponents on the national stage will dig through every budget, every tax hike, every job loss and every crime statistic.
And let’s be honest — Republicans will relish the opportunity to brand him as the governor of “tax-and-spend, bloated, crime-ridden, migrant-overrun Illinois” — the kind of place some people are desperate to escape.
Meanwhile, other Democratic hopefuls — Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Kamala Harris, maybe even Pete Buttigieg and others — will have newer stories to tell, unburdened by a fresh round of negative local headlines.
By stepping aside in 2026, Pritzker frees himself from the messiness of another term. He can position himself as a leader with big ideas, rather than a governor forced to explain why Illinois keeps losing taxpayers and businesses.
He can use his billions to keep building national goodwill, funding Democratic causes and traveling the country making his case — with Illinois far behind in the rearview mirror.
So what’s the play here? Later this year Pritzker should announce he won’t be seeking reelection. Frame it as a victory lap — he accomplished what he set out to do: Stabilize Illinois after the Bruce Rauner years, invest in infrastructure and move the state in a progressive direction —then pivot to the national stage.
He can spend the next year courting Democrats in battleground states, funnel money into key U.S. Senate and U.S. House races, and position himself as a champion of Democratic values with a national vision, not just the governor of a struggling state.
Pritzker is ambitious, and he’s smart. He knows the risks of another four years in Springfield, so if he wants to be a serious contender in 2028, he should take the off-ramp now, before Illinois’ problems sink his presidential aspirations.
The choice is clear: Run again in 2026 as the face of “blue blues” Illinois, or go national and make his case for the White House without the baggage of a third term.
If the JB I know and admire is serious about 2028, he’ll realize the answer is obvious.
Andy Shaw is a semiretired journalist and good government reform advocate.
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