Dem
53
Ties
2
GOP
45
We had an item yesterday about how Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) has made it as clear as day that he's running for president. So, how about another governor of a big, blue state? We give you Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL).
Pritzker, of course, is distinct among potential Democratic nominees because he is a billionaire. The real kind (not the Donald-Trump-before-crypto kind), with a net worth estimated to be a bit more than $4 billion. This gives him a leg up, not only because he can theoretically self-fund, but because he can spread some of that money around in a manner that could grease the skids for 2028.
And that is exactly what he is doing, to the tune of nearly $40 million thus far. Pritzker and his team insist they are being very careful about their giving, making certain to invest only in solid candidates who have put together good campaigns backed by strong teams. This may be true, but the giving is also careful in another way, in that it's going mostly to early and/or swingy states. For example, Pritzker has sent $500,000 to the Michigan Democratic Party, $650,000 to the campaign in Nevada to create a constitutional right to an abortion, $100,000 to candidates running for statewide office in Iowa, and the same for candidates running for the U.S. House in New Hampshire.
That said, not all the donations are dictated solely by state borders. He's given $1.6 million to Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL), $1.9 million to Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson (D) and $1.3 million to Chris Jones in Arkansas. All three are in very competitive races for House seats and all three are Black. He's also given $400,000 to gubernatorial candidate Aaron Ford in Nevada, who offers the trifecta of being Black, and in a swing state, and in an early-voting state. Pritzker has also ponied up $2.8 million for Rep. Gabe Vazquez (D-NM) and is the single largest donor to the campaign of would-be Texas governor Gina Hinojosa (D), at $1 million and counting. The former is Latino, the latter Latina.
Reporters have taken notice of Pritzker's generous, and clearly strategic, giving and have asked him to confirm the obvious conclusion that he's running for president in 2 years. The Governor regularly responds with the observation that he's been donating to Democratic candidates for a long time, and that "I gotta win in 2026 before I worry about 2028." It is true that Pritzker is up for reelection this year... in a race that polls have him leading by about 20 points. It is also true that his answer is not exactly the Full Sherman, or anything close to it.
There are many other potential presidential candidates who are spreading some lettuce around right now, among them Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Pete Buttigieg. Of course, none of them has a war chest with more than $4 billion in it, so when it comes to the "giving" race, Pritzker has the clear upper hand.
And the real story here is that the 2028 presidential race is already underway, even though the 2026 midterms aren't even in the books. Looks like we'll have stuff to write about, even after November 3. (Z)