Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is interviewed by Fox News Digital at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 2024 in Chicago. (Paul Steinhauser)
Pritzker has become one of his Democratic Party's most vocal critics of the sweeping and controversial moves by President Donald Trump during the opening months of his second tour in the White House.
"We’ve got to be ready for the fight," Pritzker said in an interview with Fox News Digital in April.
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The 60-year-old governor argued that the nation is "in a constitutional crisis" and that "we have too many people who are ill-affected by the policies of the Trump administration."
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected on Thursday to announce a 2026 re-election bid for a third term as governor. (Governor JB Pritzker via X)
Pritzker, who has taken steps to "Trump-proof" his solidly blue state, told reporters earlier this year, "You come for my people, you come through me."
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Pritzker is seen as a potential contender for the Democrats' 2028 presidential nomination – and the launch of his 2026 gubernatorial re-election campaign is not expected to derail him from potentially running for the White House.
He was a high-profile campaign surrogate in the 2024 cycle on behalf of former President Joe Biden, as well as former Vice President Kamala Harris after she replaced Biden as the Democratic Party's nominee last summer.
Those efforts brought Pritzker to Nevada, a general election battleground state and an early-voting Democratic presidential primary state, and New Hampshire, which for a century has held the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
Additionally, Pritzker's return to New Hampshire this spring, to headline a major state Democratic Party fundraising dinner, sparked more speculation about a possible 2028 presidential run.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-gov-pritzker-expected-announced-bid-third-term-steering-illinois