Illinois results solidify JB Pritzker's 'powerhouse' role — and set up a White House run

Carol Moseley Braun — the former U.S. senator from Illinois and first Black woman to hold the office — had just ended a call with newly minted Democratic Senate nominee Juliana Stratton on Wednesday when she reflected on why the victory was “obviously” good for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. “He’ll have a senator on his side,” Moseley Braun said in an interview with NBC News. “Running for the presidency — different offices, different dynamics involved — but the more senators on your side, the better.” Moseley Braun said the quiet part out loud. Officially, Pritzker is seeking a third term as governor of Illinois, clinching his own nomination unopposed on Tuesday night and preparing to face off against Republican Darren Bailey. But one of the dominant narratives coming out of Tuesday night’s battery of primaries in the Land of Lincoln was how it would all reflect on Pritzker’s eventual pursuit of the White House. Stratton’s Senate primary win over the well-financed Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who had outspent Stratton and aired more television ads for far longer, has now only underscored Pritzker’s role as power player in the state. For Pritzker, it was vital that Stratton win the race — and not just because he endorsed her. Stratton has served as Pritzker's lieutenant governor, and while she touted her a new, progressive platform in her Senate campaign, she also ran on the Pritzker-Stratton record. In the months leading up to Tuesday’s primary, Krishnamoorthi was framed as the frontrunner, both in polling and in fundraising. Questions swirled about whether Pritzker truly had the strategic organization, clout and popularity to land the deal. “It was a big test for him last night. If he didn’t succeed it would have been a speed bump onto his probable entry into the race for president. Now people won’t question his staying power,” said Jim Durkin, the former Republican leader of the Illinois House. “There should be no question in anybody’s mind,” Durkin continued, “that JB Pritzker is the undisputed powerhouse in Illinois.” Pritzker, a billionaire, poured at least $5 million, as of the last disclosure deadline, into a super PAC backing Stratton. The group, Illinois Future PAC, spent $14.8 million on ads. While a sizeable sum, it still lagged Krishnamoorthi’s spending. A person involved in Stratton’s election effort said it was Pritzker who recognized that the Democratic electorate wanted to hear from future leaders who were forcefully willing to stand up to President Donald Trump. “Democratic primary voters are in a very different spot than pundits and people assume. We knew from the very beginning, I think JB was one of the first to recognize this,” the person involved in Stratton’s reelection effort said. “Fighting Trump and standing up for your people was going to be the winning message … That’s what ultimately set Juliana apart. We were vastly outspent. It wasn’t JB’s money that won her this race.” The Stratton campaign’s first ad featured a series of people saying “F--- Trump,” with the key word bleeped out for TV. "It sets him up because he supported a Black woman to be our next senator. It would be the first time we have two minority senators. It sets him up and plays into a narrative of him running for president," said Chicago-based Democratic strategist Jaimey Sexton. Sexton noted that Pritzker's nature would mean he'd pull out all the stops to be sure Stratton had the support she needed. “He’s super competitive about this. The Bears aren’t going to go to Indiana, they’re going to Arlington Heights. He’s not going to have any black mark on his record between now and Nov. 25 when he announces he’s running for president," Sexton said, joking about the inevitability of a Pritzker presidential announcement. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, D-Ill., on Wednesday applauded Stratton taking on progressive positions “especially on Medicare for all, embracing that, as well as on economic issues like raising the federal minimum wage.” Stratton supports a $25-per-hour minimum wage and also stood for eliminating U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She also won the backing of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a leading national progressive who visited Illinois and rallied with the lieutenant governor last week. Garcia noted that Pritzker’s decision to get heavily involved in an open Senate primary brought “some risk and some frictions,” pointing to the third top candidate in the race, Rep. Robin Kelly, as well as some members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who had at times expressed frustrations over Pritzker’s involvement and major financing of Stratton’s candidacy. Lingering resentment shone through on election night, when Kelly announced to supporters that Stratton had won and then said, “Be nice!” while seeming to gesture, in part, to herself. “It is hard to be — especially in Illinois — unbought and unbossed,” Kelly told her supporters, borrowing a phrase from the late Shirley Chisholm, the first Black congresswoman. “I can still look at myself in the mirror. There’s another plan for Robin Kelly.” Kelly congratulated Stratton the next day in a post on X as well as in a text message, and she wished her luck in November. Garcia said Pritzker’s involvement ultimately combated other special interests that may have entered the race. “He had to do what he did to help her contend with the great advantage that Krishnamoorthi had because he’s been planning his run for years,” Garcia said. “JB probably had a good sense about the potential for big money getting involved in the race ... I think it was important for him to get involved.” For his part, Pritzker has repeatedly brushed back questions over whether he has higher aspirations, regularly saying he is focused only on his job as governor. Still, it’s an open secret he is mulling a run for the White House, and he's been widely viewed for years as a short-lister for 2028. Moseley Braun batted away concerns about whether it would be a disservice to Illinoisans to have a governor run for a third term if there were a chance he wouldn’t serve out the full four years. “He’s done the work to be a good governor. That’s step one. You gotta do good at the job you’re in, and then people think of you for a promotion,” she said. “He’s certainly earned the right to be a candidate for president, and he would do a good job.”