Pritzker says he’ll be “very involved” in 2028

Pritzker will – Gov. JB Pritzker said he expects to be “very involved” in the 2028 Democratic presidential race and warned that Democrats have “lost our way,” framing the next election as a chance to restore and renew American values. Speaking in Chicago, he pointed to a “bes

In Chicago, Gov. JB Pritzker stepped carefully around the question of whether he will run for president—then answered it anyway, in the only way that matters: by describing how deeply he plans to put his thumb on the scale.

“The most important election of our lifetimes,” Pritzker said, when asked directly if he planned to run for president. He then made his intention plain. “What I can tell you, in ‘28, I’m going to be very involved.”

Speaking at a Punchbowl News event in Chicago on Tuesday. Pritzker also tied that involvement to a sharper critique of his party. He argued that whoever is on the Democratic ticket in 2028 has to campaign on more than “restoration. ” adding that the message must also include a “renewal of American values.” In his view. Democrats have drifted. “I think Democrats over the years have lost our way,” he said. “It’s very important to me that we actually follow through.”.

The comments land in a moment when Pritzker is still locked on Illinois politics. He is running for his third term and faces Republican Gov. Darren Bailey in November. Pritzker has said repeatedly that his focus is that contest—but presidential primaries would likely arrive not long after.

If Pritzker does enter the presidential race. he could face a primary in the same lane as other high-profile Democratic governors. including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Pritzker offered a rationale for why governors should lead the federal government. saying they’re “best positioned to run the federal government because governors have to deliver.”.

He compared governing to voting: “We don’t get to just vote on things and then come home and say. ‘Well. I voted for it. I know it didn’t go into effect because I was in the minority. but hey. I voted for it. ’” Pritzker said. “We have to do things that are benefiting people. and I think you find if you look across all the governors. we have quite a bench.”.

That, he said, is why he plans to help elect a Democratic president. “So I’m going to be very involved in helping to elect a Democratic president.”

The governor’s positioning also reflects the current reality of his national standing. Recent polls have shown Pritzker polling between 1% and 7%. An Emerson College poll conducted between May 24 and 25 had him at 4%. In that same Emerson poll, Pete Buttigieg topped the numbers at 18%, followed by Newsom at 16% and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 11%, according to poll results being collected by the New York Times.

For now, the gap between name recognition and support remains striking. Emanuel has been polling at 1% or less. even as he continues to roll out a centrist platform that criticizes the Democratic Party while also proposing policy ideas. Among Emanuel’s plans are a betting and prediction markets tax. and a push for a mandatory retirement age of 75 for the president and across branches of the federal government.

Pritzker’s remarks also echo the central pitch another prominent Chicago figure has been using—especially as the former mayor. Rahm Emanuel. weighs a presidential bid. Emanuel rode his bike through New Hampshire last month to meet voters in a state that typically holds the first presidential primary. One of Emanuel’s key themes. on TV and podcast appearances and op-eds. is that Democrats can’t simply focus on resisting President Donald Trump; they need a plan.

Pritzker is making the same argument from a different angle: a need to rebuild and move forward with an agenda rather than only opposition. In April, he told Rev. Al Sharpton that the next president—the 48th in history—needs an “Agenda 48” to counter Project 2025.

There’s a tension in the moment that Pritzker tried to soften with timing. He emphasized his immediate task in Illinois, while describing a long runway into 2028. But even without declaring a candidacy. the message was hard to miss: the election that will shape the country’s next chapter is already calling. and Pritzker says he plans to be in the room when Democrats decide how to answer it.

JB Pritzker 2028 election Democratic governors Illinois politics Darren Bailey Rahm Emanuel Agenda 48 Project 2025 Chicago news