CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is running for a third term in 2026 — even as questions swirl about whether he will make a bid for president two years later.
“Illinois is standing at the center of the fight — the fight to make life more affordable, the fight to protect our freedoms, the fight for common sense,” Pritzker said in a video announcing his reelection bid.
The two-term Democratic governor is scheduled to address supporters at a rally on Chicago’s South Side on Thursday morning before visiting Rockford, Peoria and Springfield.
Illinois does not have term limits for statewide offices, though there hasn’t been a three-term governor since Republican Jim Thompson, who won four times and held office from 1977 to 1991.
Pritzker has been a fierce critic of President Donald Trump, and his campaign kick-off continues the drumbeat, attacking the administration for unleashing “chaos” and “craziness,” and ticking off concerns about farmers and small businesses being hurt by the administration’s tariffs.
It’s familiar territory for Pritzker, who has been among the most vocal Democrats to speak out against Trump. He has pushed back at fellow Democrats, too, saying they need to show “guts” in standing up against the White House.
The 60-year-old governor is seen as a shoo-in to win the primary in March. Illinois Republicans have yet to step up with a challenger, but whoever their nominee is will almost certainly face a formidable incumbent in Pritzker — a billionaire heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune who will self-fund his campaign in the deep blue state.
The governor’s kick-off comes after months of speculation about whether he would seek reelection at a time of financial uncertainty as the state faces pension funding challenges — and whether he’ll make a run for president. He has demurred when asked about his national political ambitions.
In an April interview with POLITICO, Pritzker insisted he’s just trying to bring attention to Illinois and call out Trump’s tariffs.
However, his numerous national appearances — including on CNN and headlining a major Democratic event in New Hampshire — and his Think Big America nonprofit, which is focused on helping states expand abortion rights, have only fueled the buzz about a potential 2028 presidential bid.
Missing from Pritzker’s kick-off ad is his lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, who is running for U.S. Senate, hoping to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. Pritzker has endorsed Stratton for the job but has yet to indicate who will run with him on the 2026 ticket.
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