(The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he’s running for a third term to protect his administration’s story.
On the first stop of his four city tour Thursday, Pritzker railed against Republicans, saying they want to take away health care coverage from residents.
“To the lobbyists for the insurance industry and nursing homes and pharma companies, money can’t buy you love in my administration,” Pritzker said in prepared remarks. “Come to the table with ways to fairly and more affordably serve your customers’ needs – or be forced to do so. I will not get tired of this fight – and I will be relentless because our families can’t take it anymore.”
Pritzker, a Democrat billionaire from Chicago, ran in 2018 against former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and won. In 2022, Pritzker as the incumbent defeated former Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey.
“I ran for governor in 2018 to change our story. I ran for governor in 2022 to keep telling our story,” Pritzker said. “And I am running for governor in 2026 to protect our story.”
Pritzker told the crowd that things are expensive and families can’t take it anymore. And while he said some could be laid at the feet of President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, “the hard truth is, we all share some of the blame.”
“We have remained tethered to past policy accomplishments and weighed down by past policy failures,” he said. “Change must and will come.”
The governor then urged supporters to continue standing up for the LGBTQ community and immigrants and Black and brown people.
“If you stood up for diversity, equity and inclusion when it was easy – then you’d better be standing up for it now, when it’s hard,” said Pritzker. “Illinois … are you ready for the fight?”
The Republican Governors Association said people are fleeing the state by the hundreds of thousands because of Pritzker’s and other Democrat leaders policies.
“[A]nd Illinois families continue to suffer the consequences of JB Pritzker’s abject record of failure at home while he spends his time on a national vanity project trying to further his own political career,” said RGA Rapid Response Director Kollin Crompton. “Pritzker’s reign in Illinois has left families trapped in an economic disaster, and taxpayers are the ones left to shoulder the burden. It’s time to bring common sense to Illinois and end Pritzker’s feast on Illinois’ working families.”
Democratic Governor’s Association Chair Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said Pritzker is an “effective leader.”
“He turned a fiscal disaster into a balanced budget – overseeing a remarkable nine credit rating upgrades – championed economic development and attracted thousands of new good-paying jobs, expanded access to affordable health care, and made historic investments in education and infrastructure,” Kelly said. “Moreover, as politicians in Washington push an extreme and harmful agenda, Gov. Pritzker has been a staunch defender of reproductive freedom and our democracy. Illinoisans can trust him to keep standing up for their rights as he keeps the state moving forward.”
Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, said the “third term Pritzker slump won’t be any better than seasons one and two.”
“We know what to expect – agency mismanagement, regressive taxation, and record spending,” McCombie said in a statement. “Illinois families need a governor for all people who understands true bipartisanship and growing our economy.”
After the event in Chicago, Pritzker said he’d announce at a later date who his lieutenant governor candidate will be. Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton announced in April that she’s running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield.
The primary is set for March 17, 2026. Republican contenders could include DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, who has already announced his candidacy. The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.
• Jim Talamonti contributed to this story.
