Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has seemingly opened the door to running for the 2028 Democratic nomination.
During an appearance on NBC’s Meet The Press on Sunday morning, host Kristen Welker asked Pritzker about his current efforts to protect the Texas Democrats who have fled their state in order to try and block the Republican-led redistricting efforts.
The conversation soon turned to whether Pritzker will throw his hat in the ring as a Democratic candidate for president as well as his family’s immense wealth as owners of the Hyatt hotel empire.
Here is a transcript of the exchange:
PRITZKER: Look — how much money you have doesn’t determine what your values are. And I’m a Democrat because I believe that everyone deserves healthcare
I’m a Democrat because I believe we’ve got to fund education and have a free public education available to every kid in this country. I’m a Democrat because I believe that we’ve got to stand up for our democracy and against the MAGA Republicans who are literally trying to take away people’s rights all across this country.
So it does not matter what your income level is. What matters is what your values are, and that’s what makes me a Democrat.
WELKER: All right, governor, very quickly, before I let you go, do you rule out a run for president in 2028?”
PRITZKER: I’m focused on running for reelection as governor of the state of Illinois. And everything that I do really is focused on lifting up the people of my state.
WELKER: But you don’t rule it out, governor. Yes or no?”
PRITZKER: I can’t rule anything out, but what I can rule in is that 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. Indeed, any future decisions of mine will always be guided by that.
Watch the interview below:
Pritzker joins a long list of Democrats who have already expressed interest in running in 2028.
Among them include Kentucky Governor Andy Bashear, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.
Democrats also expected to are Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
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