(The Center Square) – Illinois Democrats rally at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield Wednesday for Governor’s Day, but whether Gov. J.B. Pritzker is vying for a presidential run in 2028 looms overhead.
The Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association brunch at a convention center in Springfield kicks things off in the morning. A noon rally with more political speeches is planned at the Director’s Lawn on the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
While Democrats are expected to criticize President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, and to promote Pritzker’s bid for a third term as governor along with other candidates vying for elected office, Pritzker continues to be asked whether he’s planning to run for president in 2028.
“The only decision that I have made is the decision to run for reelection as governor,” Pritzker said Monday at an unrelated news conference. “That’s the decision I made about my political future.”
When asked about a possible bid for the White House Sunday, Pritzker told NBC’s Meet the Press he “can’t rule anything out.”
“But what I can rule in is no matter what decisions I make, and I mean in particular about what I do here in the state of Illinois, is about the people of Illinois,” Pritzker said.
With as prominent as Pritzker has made himself in national debates around redistricting, immigration and presidential politics, state Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, said there’s no question that Pritzker is aiming for the White House.
“I have no doubt that Governor Pritzker will run for president, but in the meantime, we have a state to run here,” Spain told The Center Square. “And we have a lot of challenges in the state of Illinois.”
