It is official: JB Pritzker announces run for a third term leading Illinois

If Pritzker decide to run for president, an announcement would likely come at some point in 2027 during what would be the first year of his third term if he’s reelected.

by Ben Szalinski
Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - Gov. JB Pritzker began his third campaign for governor on last week, but much of the buzz around his 2026 campaign announcement focused on 2028.

Pritzker made four stops around the state to launch his campaign, fielding questions about any future interest in the presidency and what is driving him to run for what would be a historic third term. In his final stop in Springfield on Thursday evening, he was toasting personally branded “JBeers” – his own craft beer product he unveiled at last year’s Democratic National Convention – with a group of about 100 people at a small event venue just outside the Capitol and talking about his motivations.

News from around Illinois “Every day I’m going to wake up going forward thinking about what I am going to do that’s going to help the people of Illinois,” Pritzker told reporters in Springfield when asked how many years of a third term he would serve. “So that’s the reason I’m running for reelection, it’s why I announced today, it’s what I’m going to do every day going forward no matter what decision I make.”

The 60-year-old Democrat’s national profile has grown significantly over the last year. He was a finalist to be former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate last July, and weeks later, introduced himself to the country on the stage of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. In the months since President Donald Trump took office, Pritzker has emerged as one of his most vocal critics.

Gov. JB Pritzker takes a picture with Mike Lopez, mayor of nearby Jerome, after announcing his reelection campaign in Springfield on Thursday, June 26.

At news conferences throughout the state, Pritzker did not directly commit to serving a full four-year term if he is reelected and sidestepped questions about his rumored White House ambitions.

But while staying tight-lipped about what he thinks about his prospects in the 2028 presidential election, he said any decision he makes about his future would be Illinois-centric.

Speculation shows Pritzker ‘capable and competent’

In the meantime, Pritzker said he believed his inclusion in the national conversation is good for Illinois.

“When I ran for governor in the first place in 2017 and 2018, never, never could I have imagined that anybody would talk about me as the potential vice-presidential nominee or as a candidate for president of the United States,” Pritzker said.

While Republicans have frequently criticized the governor for his tendencies to criticize Trump rather than work with him to Illinois’ benefit, the governor spun his rising national profile as a positive.

“Having the state of Illinois’ leaders viewed as capable and competent and potentially able to run the entire country and being talked about in that way, allows us, I think, to get more for the people of Illinois because there’s an understanding that, you know, maybe in Illinois we’re doing the right things,” he said. “Maybe in Illinois we have leaders that can competently execute on what states really need.”

Pritzker said his experience last summer being vetted for the vice presidency has not played any role in the decisions he has made about his political career.

Should Pritzker decide to run for president, an announcement would likely come at some point in 2027 during what would be the first year of his third term if he’s reelected.

Pritzker’s goal: ‘Protect’ Illinois and his legacy

Pritzker said at his announcement Thursday that his goal in 2026 is to preserve his legacy and “protect” the story of Illinois that’s been written under his leadership. Pritzker didn’t outline a bold vision for his third term but rather pledged to build off what he has already accomplished.

He said his third term would focus on grappling with artificial intelligence, addressing the rising cost of living, continued spending on infrastructure and growing the state’s economy.

Pritzker reflected on his decision to seek reelection despite growing challenges facing the state.

“I don’t shy away from a fight, and we’re going to have to protect the people of Illinois,” Pritzker told reporters in Springfield. “And I feel like we’re in a moment when backing away from public service when things are hard doesn’t feel right. So that’s one of the reasons I chose to run for reelection.”

Pritzker was asked whether he would have run had Trump not been elected last year.

“I think I would, but I have to say that in this moment, it feels like walking away is the wrong thing to do given who is in the White House and given how this administration is attacking people all across this country,” Pritzker said.

The governor must also choose a new running mate as Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has decided to run for U.S. Senate. Pritzker said he will choose one by the end of July so his campaign can start circulating nominating petitions in early August. Pritzker said in Chicago that he is looking for someone with enough experience to take over as governor if required.

Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, may be an early front-runner for the job. Pritzker specifically referred to Gordon-Booth as qualified at a stop in East Peoria on Thursday when asked about potential running mates, WGLT reported. The assistant House majority leader has been in the General Assembly since 2009.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Leading Illinois Democrats at odds with Durbin over shutdown vote — again

Durbin was among 8 Democratic senators to back plan to reopen federal government. The plan angered many top Illinois Democrats such as Gov. JB Pritzker and three candidates running to replace Durbin.

by Ben Szalinski
Capitol News Illinois

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin is once again at odds with other prominent Illinois Democrats over a vote that set in motion a plan to end the record-long federal government shutdown.

Durbin, who is not seeking reelection in 2026, was one of eight members in the Senate Democratic caucus to join Republicans in supporting a procedural vote to begin the process of passing legislation to fund the government, which entered its 41st day without a budget on Monday. But that package will not include health care subsidies that Democrats had demanded be included in a bill to reopen the government.

“Republicans finally woke up and realized their Groundhog Day needed to end,” Durbin said in a statement Sunday night. “This bill is not perfect, but it takes important steps to reduce their shutdown’s hurt. Not only would it fully fund SNAP for the year ahead, but it would reverse the mass firings the Trump Administration ordered throughout the shutdown.”

Senate Democrats believe they secured a promise from Senate Republican leaders to hold a Senate vote on the Affordable Care Act tax credits. The tax credits expire at the end of the year, setting the stage for health care premiums to skyrocket. Congressional Democrats have refused for more than a month to vote for any bill that did not include new health care tax credits to rein in costs.

But many of Illinois’ top Democrats are opposed to the Durbin-backed funding plan. It also marks the second time this year Durbin has found himself at odds with Gov. JB Pritzker over a Senate vote to fund the government.

Gov. JB Pritzker takes reporters’ questions outside the Illinois State Board of Elections building in Springfield on Oct. 27, 2025.

Pritzker, who is widely discussed as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, said he favors continuing to fight President Donald Trump with a government shutdown, which many Democrats believe gives their party leverage to force Republicans to support funding the ACA subsidies.

“This is not a deal — it's an empty promise,” Gov. JB Pritzker said on social media. “Trump and his Republican Congress are making healthcare more expensive for the middle class and ending it for working families. Time for Democrats to stand tall for affordable healthcare.”

Durbin also sided with Republicans in March and voted for the spending plan that kept the government open through September. That triggered outrage from many Democrats who favored shutting down the government at the time to make it harder for Trump to implement his agenda.

Pritzker said in March that Durbin’s decision was a “huge mistake,” and he was “dead wrong.”

Congressional Dems doubt leverage

The Senate’s vote on Sunday sets the stage for the chamber to pass substantive legislation to fund the government through Jan. 30, but it will require the House’s approval and Trump’s signature first. That timeline remains unclear.

CNN reported the plan would fully fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits through next September and reverses Trump’s firing of federal workers during the shutdown.

I lived through more than 50 attempts by Donald Trump in his first term to repeal Obamacare

Durbin said Republicans own the blame for the shutdown, adding he believes Democrats can claim victory with the vote.

“Now that Democrats secured these wins, it’s time for Leader (John) Thune to keep his promise to schedule a vote on the ACA tax credits in December, and we will see to it that he makes good on his word for the millions of Americans worried they won’t be able to afford health care in January,” Durbin said.

Many, including Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, want congressional Democrats to continue holding out for ACA tax credits.

“I simply cannot, and I will not, vote to do nothing to help protect them (families) from Trump’s vindictive and malicious efforts in exchange for a vague promise from the least trustworthy Republican party in our nation’s history,” Duckworth said in a statement after voting against the procedural vote on Sunday.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth speaks at the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association brunch.

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, a Democrat from Downers Grove, ripped Durbin and the seven other Senate Democrats who sided with Republicans. He said on social media that Democrats “trusting” Republicans on an ACA vote is like “a liar convincing a sucker.” “A sucker for believing the lie, and for believing (House Speaker Mike) Johnson will ever bring it up in the House,” he wrote.

Candidates disagree with Durbin

The three leading Democrats running to replace Durbin are all opposed to the plan to reopen the government.

“The Republican shutdown has caused immense suffering for Illinois families, and that pain will be compounded exponentially because Democrats let the GOP off the hook,” Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said in a statement. “While we all want to see food assistance fully funded and federal workers paid and protected, healthcare for millions of Americans cannot be the tradeoff. An empty promise is not enough.”

Stratton also publicly criticized Durbin’s vote in March.

Reps. Robin Kelly, of Lynwood, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Schaumburg, said they will vote against the funding plan whenever it arrives in the House. “We will not cave to broken promises from Trump and the GOP who have sold the American people a bill of goods on so many things, but especially their access to quality healthcare,” Kelly said in a statement.

Krishnamoorthi said his red line will continue to be whether ACA credits are preserved.

“I lived through more than 50 attempts by Donald Trump in his first term to repeal Obamacare and continued statements that he’s going to gut the Affordable Care Act now,” Krishnamoorthi said in a video statement on Monday. “So I cannot in good conscious believe that all of the sudden he’s going to take actions right now to strengthen Obamacare.”

Bill signals end to flight delays, SNAP woes

Illinois has seen escalating impacts from the record government shutdown.

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi speaks to a gathering of Democrats in August — U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi speaks to a gathering of Democrats in Springfield on Aug. 13, 2025.

About 2 million people have been stuck in limbo this month over whether they will receive federal food benefits from SNAP. The U.S. Department of Agriculture told states last month that they would not distribute November SNAP benefits as the shutdown continued.

Whether USDA must use contingency funds to pay full benefits has been an ongoing legal battle in the federal court system since Nov. 1.

Travelers through Chicago’s airports could also see some relief when the government reopens. A growing number of air traffic controllers have called out of work after not getting paid for the last month, leading the Federal Aviation Administration last week to require airlines to cancel flights at 40 airports, including O’Hare and Midway, because of staffing shortages that cause delays to stack up.

O’Hare was one of the worst airports for delays on Sunday, according to FlightAware, with 16% of departures canceled and 53% delayed.

Illinois steps up amid federal vaccine guidance uncertainty

The Illinois Department of Public Health recommends COVID-19 shots for all adults this fall. The standing order ensures access through local pharmacies and health care providers.

by Ben Szalinski
Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Department of Public Health has recommended all adults get a COVID-19 shot this fall despite federal guidelines that narrowed the group of people recommended for the shot.

IDPH released a standing order on Tuesdays that recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for all children between six and 23 months; children ages 2 through 17 that have an underlying risk or live in a home with another person who is at high risk for severe complications from COVID-19; any child whose parents want them to get a vaccine; people who are pregnant, planning to be pregnant or postpartum; and all adults.

CVS Covid Vaccination — Signs advertise autumn vaccinations at a pharmacy in Chicago.

The recommendation bucks new and murky guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that recommend vaccines only for people ages 65 and older. A recent CDC advisory panel vote allowed people younger than 65 to receive the vaccine after being informed of the risks and benefits of the shot, backing away from requiring people to get a prescription in order to receive the vaccine.

Illinois’ latest recommendations follow the state’s Immunization Advisory Committee Monday vote on the issue.

“IDPH’s recommendations, made in consultation with our Immunization Advisory Committee, will ensure that residents can protect themselves and their family members this upcoming respiratory season,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a statement. “In addition, the accompanying standing order will allow residents access to COVID-19 vaccine in local pharmacies and other health care settings.”

Gov. JB Pritzker also issued an executive order earlier this month requiring IDPH to issue its own guidelines for vaccines this fall amid uncertainty over what the federal government would recommend.

“At a time when the federal government is abdicating its responsibility to provide clear, science-informed guidance, Illinois is stepping up,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Illinois will continue to empower providers and families across our state with the information and access they need to guard against illness and disease.”

JB Pritzker gets Covid vaccination — Gov. JB Pritzker receives his COVID-19 vaccine in 2022 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

IDPH’s standing order allows health care providers and pharmacies in Illinois to give COVID-19 shots within the department’s guidelines. It also requires federal insurance plans, insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act and state-regulated insurance plans to cover the vaccines.

Insurance companies that are members of America’s Health Insurance Plans, which are most major insurance companies, plan to continue covering the shots, according to the Associated Press.

Other vaccines

The Trump administration has also been unclear about how it will approach future recommendations on other vaccines. A CDC advisory panel last week recommended against administering the combination of measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox vaccines, MMRV, to children under 4 years old.

IDPH is recommending children and adults follow the CDC’s prior guidelines that recommend the MMRV.

IDPH is also recommending everyone receive flu shots this fall.

RSV vaccines are also recommended for adults aged 74 years old and older, adults at high risk for severe illness who are over 50, people who are between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy and children between eight and 19 months who are at a high risk of severe illness.

TAGGED: Illinois COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, IDPH fall vaccine guidelines, COVID-19 vaccine for all adults, JB Pritzker executive order, RSV and flu vaccine guidance

Pritzker, Durbin push back against Trump threat to deploy troops in Chicago

Chicago officials warn against federal troop deployment, highlight crime trends, and promise legal challenges to Trump's plan.

Gov. JB Pritzker criticizes the Trump administration

Photo: CNI/Andrew Adams

With Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson standing behind him, Gov. JB Pritzker criticizes the Trump administration’s threat to deploy military forces in Chicago alongside dozens of activists, Democratic politicians and religious leaders in downtown Chicago on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025.

by Ben Szalinski
Capitol News Illinois

CHICAGO - In front of gleaming skyscrapers along the Chicago River, Illinois’ Democratic leaders showed a united front Monday against President Donald Trump’s threats to deploy the military into Chicago’s streets to fight crime with one message: “Mr. President, do not come to Chicago.”

“You are neither wanted here nor needed here,” Gov. JB Pritzker said at a news conference. “Your remarks about this effort over the last several weeks have betrayed a continuing slip in your mental faculties and are not fit for the auspicious office that you occupy.”

The Washington Post reported Saturday that the Pentagon has been considering for weeks deploying the military to Chicago. The report came a day after Trump suggested Chicago will be the next city he sends the military to after he activated the National Guard and other federal law enforcement personnel in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.

Thousands of troops could be deployed in Chicago as soon as September, though two officials who spoke to the Post anonymously said the deployment is considered less likely for now.

State leaders said they have not asked for help.

“When I have some slob like Pritzker criticizing us before we even go there — I made the statement that next should be Chicago because Chicago is a killing field right now and they don’t acknowledge it and they say ‘we don’t need them, freedom, freedom, freedom, he’s a dictator. He’s a dictator.’ A lot of people are saying maybe we’d like a dictator,” Trump said Monday. “I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense and a smart person.”

The state’s leaders said they have not been contacted by the Trump administration asking whether the state wants policing help, and state leaders said they have not asked for help.

“If this were happening in any other country, we would have no trouble calling it what it is — a dangerous power grab,” Pritzker said.

The state's top Democrats said Trump is targeting Illinois for political reasons.

“This is an act of political theater by Donald Trump, and sadly, we have to take it extremely seriously,” said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. “My friends, don't walk away and say this is just another political issue. This is how democracies die.”

Anticipating Chicagoans will take to the streets to protest if the military arrives, Pritzker encouraged protestors to be peaceful.

“Remember that the members of the military and the National Guard who will be asked to walk these streets are, for the most part, here unwillingly, and remember that they can be court martialed, and their lives ruined if they resist deployment,” Pritzker said.

Legal Questions

Trump’s move faces significant legal questions, and Illinois leaders promised to file lawsuits to block the mobilization of the military.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who has led more than three dozen lawsuits against President Donald Trump’s administration, criticizes the president’s threats to deploy military forces in Chicago on Aug. 25, 2025.

The president and Congress have more powers over Washington, D.C., because of its status as a federal district and not a state, but it’s unclear what legal authority the president is considering applying to send troops to Chicago.

The National Guard is under the control of the governor, though the president has the power to federalize it to quell a rebellion or “unable with the regular forces” to enforce laws. The president can also invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to serve as law enforcement.

This is exactly the type of overreach that our country's founders warned against...

Those criteria haven’t been met, Attorney General Kwame Raoul said.

Trump’s decision earlier this year to deploy the California National Guard to Los Angeles was challenged and has so far been upheld by a federal appeals court. California argued in that case that the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the military from acting as a domestic police force. The National Guard was sent to L.A. following protests over Trump’s immigration policies.

“This is exactly the type of overreach that our country's founders warned against and it's the reason that they established a federal system with a separation of powers built on checks and balances,” Pritzker said. “What President Trump is doing is unprecedented and unwarranted. It is illegal, it is unconstitutional, it is unamerican.”

Raoul noted his office has long had effective crime-fighting partnerships with federal agencies.

“I'm not and have never been opposed to collaborative help from well-trained federal law enforcement agents. Were the president serious about addressing crime or criminal threats in Chicago, he would dedicate more resources to collaborative work that we already engage in with these federal agencies,” Raoul said.

Chicago Crime Trends

Overall crime in Chicago has declined by 13% this year, according to data from the Chicago Police Department. Nearly every category of crime has decreased this year, including murders — down 31%. Chicago has seen 256 murders through Aug. 17 this year, compared to 370 over the same timeframe in 2024. Shooting incidents broadly are down 36%.

Crime in Chicago has trended downward since 2023 and is down 15% overall since then. Incidents of crime are still 40% higher at this point of 2025 than in 2021, though murder is down 50% since 2021 and shooting incidents are down 57%. Felony theft, misdemeanor theft and motor vehicle theft are all up significantly since 2021.

The city’s data portal shows crime has generally been trending down throughout the 21st century from nearly half a million crimes in 2001 to about that level in 2024. The number of annual crimes in the city has been relatively flat for about 10 years, however.

Nationally, Chicago ranked 92nd in violent crime per 100,000 people in 2024 among the nation’s 200 largest cities, according to FBI data. Memphis ranked first and Milwaukee and St. Louis were eighth and ninth, respectively, while Rockford ranked 19th. Chicago had the 22nd highest murder rate and was eighth in robbery.

“I know (Trump) doesn't read, I know he doesn't listen to very many people, but I know he watches television, and so perhaps if somebody from FOX News or from Newsmax is here, they'll cover the fact that Chicago is in much better shape as a result of the work that we are doing to prevent crime,” Pritzker said.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson acknowledged the city must do more to reduce violence and said the Trump administration should release $800 million in violence prevention funding it has withheld this year and provide more funding for housing.

Also on Monday, Trump signed an executive order seeking to block federal funding to states and cities with cashless bail policies. Illinois eliminated cash bail in 2023 and Trump claimed jurisdictions with it have higher levels of crime. Early research of the first year without cash bail in Illinois did not show an increase in crime.

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If first you don't succeed ... Darren Bailey plans second run for Illinois governor in 2026

by Ben Szalinski
Capitol News Illinois

Bailey, who lost to JB Pritzker in 2022, re-enters the governor’s race with new campaign strategy.

SPRINGFIELD - Darren Bailey plans to run for governor for a second time in 2026, Capitol News Illinois confirmed with sources close to the campaign.

The former state senator and farmer from Clay County would become the highest-profile Republican to enter the race, having lost the 2022 campaign against Gov. JB Pritzker and a close primary race in 2024 against U.S. Rep. Mike Bost for a downstate congressional seat.

Darren Bailey speaks at press conference during his first campaign — State Sen. Darren Bailey appears at a news conference alongside law enforcement officers during his 2022 campaign for governor. Bailey plans a second run for Illinois governor in 2026 with Aaron Del Mar as his running mate.

A formal announcement is expected next week. News of the planned announcement was first reported by NBC Chicago on Monday afternoon.

Bailey rose to statewide notoriety in 2020 as a state lawmaker who opposed mask mandates and other COVID-19 emergency actions early in the pandemic. He capitalized on his opposition to Pritzker-imposed restrictions and ran for governor in 2022.

Bailey plans to enlist Cook County Republican Party Chair Aaron Del Mar as his running mate

Bailey easily won the Republican primary that year with 57 percent of the vote. His campaign was indirectly helped by Pritzker, who ran TV ads during the primary calling Bailey “too conservative” for Illinois, which helped boost his credentials with Republican voters.

But Pritzker handily won a second term with 55 percent of the vote, defeating Bailey by 13 points in a race the Associated Press called just moments after polls closed. Pritzker spent millions on his campaign as Bailey struggled to compete despite receiving financial help from Lake Forest billionaire Dick Uihlein.

Bailey then tried to unseat Bost in 2024 in the 12th Congressional District but came up about 2,700 votes short. While he received President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the governor’s race, Trump endorsed Bost over Bailey in 2024.

New running mate

Bailey plans to enlist Cook County Republican Party Chair Aaron Del Mar as his running mate, a source said.

Del Mar ran for lieutenant governor in 2022 alongside Gary Rabine, receiving 6.5 percent of the vote.

He was elected to lead the Cook County Republican Party earlier this year, marking the second time he has held that role after previously leading the party in the early 2010s. He is also a member of the Illinois GOP’s State Central Committee and serves as Palatine Township’s highway commissioner.

Outside of politics, Del Mar has led a career in business and as an entrepreneur.

Bailey ran in 2022 with Stephanie Trussell, a conservative radio host from the suburbs.

Bailey’s message

It is unclear how Bailey plans to overcome his 2022 loss and what message he will take to voters in 2026.

He focused much of his 2022 campaign on crime and public safety, criticizing the SAFE-T Act and bashing Chicago as a “hellhole.”

The message failed to gain traction with voters, however, as Democrats focused heavily on abortion rights in the months after Roe v. Wade was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Facebook has been Bailey’s primary communication platform to voters, and in recent weeks, he has focused many of his posts on Pritzker and ways he believes the governor has failed Illinois. Like other Republicans, Bailey has criticized Pritzker’s growing national profile.

“In 2026, we have the chance to stop him,” Bailey wrote in a post Monday. “But it will take ALL of us. Every Illinoisan who knows we deserve better. Together, we can end JB’s presidential ambitions before they even begin and finally turn Illinois around.”

Darren Bailey at the 2023 Illinois State Fair — Former state senator and unsuccessful candidate for governor and later Congress Darren Bailey is pictured at the 2023 Illinois State Fair during his unsuccessful congressional campaign.

Bailey would become at least the fourth candidate to enter the Republican primary for governor, which has been slowly taking shape this fall.

DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick, Lake Forest resident Joe Severino, and conservative media writer Ted Dabrowski have also formed committees to run for governor.

Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner released a statement Sunday saying he was also considering running.

Pritzker is running for a rare third term as governor amid speculation he will also run for president in 2028.

Candidates must turn their petitions in to the State Board of Elections by the end of October.

ViewPoint | Lying isn't leadership

Op-Ed by Darren Bailey

Gov. J.B. Pritzker's lie about taking politics out of reapportionment and pushing "fair and independent maps" wouldn't be so shocking if he hadn't said it so often and with such conviction and sincerity.

All through his 2018 campaign for governor, Pritzker said he supported an amendment to the state Constitution to take congressional map-drawing out of the hands of state legislators and into those of an independent commission.

He went so far as to say he'd veto legislative maps, "in any way drafted or created by legislators, political party leaders and/or their staffs or allies." Instead, he said, he would hand it over to an independent panel.

This is not some new, untried experiment. Neighboring Missouri has instituted an independent map-drawing commission, and so have Michigan, Colorado, and Utah.

With Pritzker facing reelection next year, though, it appears he's willing to allow his Democratic allies in the legislature one last go at picking their voters by drawing Republicans into concentrated and ludicrously configured districts.

"We need a governor who keeps his promises."

Lying isn't leadership. And J.B. Pritzker has broken his word more often than he spends his money to buy elections.

Last week, Pritzker said he "trusted" the Democrats in the House and Senate to send him a fair map.

"I look to the Legislature for their proposal," Pritzker said. "I'll be looking to it for its fairness."

The governor might want to invest in a microscope because he's going to have to look hard.

This is Illinois, a state where corruption and cynicism compete with one another as the political class builds its power base and their special-interest handlers line their pockets.

Let me be clear. I'm a conservative Republican. But I also know that there are some things bigger than politics – things like honesty, transparency, and fair play.

I'm committed to seeing an end to the inside-dealing that has dominated our redistricting process. Voters should pick their elected officials, not the other way around. That's why, as governor, I'll use the bully pulpit to reform the system by which we draw our districts.

Illinoisans deserve better than the current, worn-out system.

We were asked, by this very governor, to expect better. And it was all a lie.

Pritzker will argue that a constitutional amendment is absolutely necessary to take politics out of partisan hands and into those of a bi-partisan, or even non-partisan, commission. He should read his state's Constitution.

While the law assigns the power to redistrict to the legislature, it does not prohibit them from assigning the work of map-drawing to a less-partisan body. The legislature's job is to enact the maps.

And remember the governor's pledge to veto any partisan plan?

The Constitution provides for a commission, appointed by the legislature, to handle the task. And if that commission deadlocks, there's even language providing for the Supreme Court to pick a ninth member – by lottery if need be – to break deadlocks.

Let's not forget that after each of the past four censuses, the legislature proved itself unable to come up with a plan for new districts. As ever, it ended up in the courts because hardline partisans showed themselves incapable of governing legislatively.

We need a commission. And we need a governor who keeps his promises.

That doesn't sound like much, and it's far from perfect. Still, it's considerably better than the unpalatable task before us now that J.B. Pritzker has broken his word and made this process about partisan politics instead of how we can best provide Illinoisans the representation they deserve.

Darren Bailey, currently the Representative from the 109th District, is a Republican candidate for the 2022 Illinois gubernatorial election.

Bailey blasts Pritzker, Johnson amid Trump’s threat to send troops to Chicago

Darren Bailey blasts Pritzker and Johnson after Trump threatens troops in Chicago, tying law-and-order to his bid against Rep. Mike Bost.

Chicago lake front at night

Photo: Willian Justen de Vasconcellos/PEXELS

Residents enjoy a peaceful evening on lake front in Chicago. Despite violence has dropped over the past five years, President Trump has threatened to send military troops to the Illinois city to help police the city. Neither the city or the state have requested Federal assistance to help with law enforcement efforts.

LOUISVILLE - Former state senator Darren Bailey blasted Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson this week after President Donald Trump threatened to send U.S. troops to Chicago to address crime. Bailey, who lost his 2022 gubernatorial race to Pritzker and is now challenging fellow Republican Rep. Mike Bost in Illinois’ 12th District, accused Democratic leaders of ignoring public safety for political gain.

“If Brandon Johnson and JB Pritzker try to block the National Guard from coming into Chicago, they should be thrown in jail. They are siding with criminals and putting politics ahead of the safety of families,” Bailey said in a statement. “Families are burying their children, businesses are shuttering, and entire neighborhoods live in fear. For Pritzker and Johnson to say there’s no emergency is disgraceful.”

Bailey has made law-and-order themes central to his campaigns, portraying Chicago as symbolic of failed Democratic leadership at both state and city levels. His comments come as Trump revived talk of federal intervention in Chicago, despite declining crime rates.

2017 Womens' March on Chicago — Thousands of protestors walk the streets of Chicago during the 2017 Womens March on Chicago. The demonstration brought more than 250,000 together people together on the first day of Trump's first term. Governor Pritzker and community leaders told the media troops are not wanted or needed on the streets of Chicago.

Speaking in the Oval Office after signing executive orders aimed at curbing cashless bail, Trump suggested the Pentagon was ready to act. “We can go anywhere on less than 24 hours’ notice,” Trump said. “They need help. We may wait. We may or may not, we may just go in and do it, which is probably what we should do.”

Later, Trump acknowledged he had not received a request from Illinois leaders. “I didn’t get a request from the governor,” he said. “Illinois is affected maybe more than anybody else. And I think until I get that request from that guy, I’m not going to do anything about it.”

Gov. Pritzker, joined by business and community leaders, dismissed Trump’s statements as political theater. He pointed to crime data showing marked improvements in Chicago this year. “There is no emergency in Chicago that calls for armed military intervention,” Pritzker said. “This is about Donald Trump searching for any justification to deploy the military in a blue city, in a blue state, to try to intimidate his political rivals.”

Pritzker defeated Bailey, earning a second term with 55% of the popular vote. The Pritzker is one of serveral contenders for the next presidential election.

City statistics show gun violence dropped 25% in the first half of 2025 compared with last year, and 41% below the average reported between 2020 and 2024. Homicides also fell below 2019 levels, before the nationwide surge that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.

Illinois Governor condemns Trump deployment of National Guard amid ICE Raids

President Trump has ordered 300 Illinois National Guard troops to Chicago, overriding Gov. JB Pritzker’s objections. The deployment coincides with ICE raids and recent local shootings in the city.

by Hannah Meisel & Andrew Adams
Capitol News Illinois

After weeks of threatening to do so, President Donald Trump is taking command of 300 Illinois National Guard troops and sending them to Chicago over Gov. JB Pritzker’s objections, the governor announced Saturday.

“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”

A few dozen protestors and reporters gathered outside an immigration enforcement facility in Broadview on Saturday, Oct. 4. The facility has become a focal point of protest since ICE officials expanded their immigration enforcement in Chicagoland.

The promised deployment comes as federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, activity has ramped up in Chicago and its suburbs as part of “Operation Midway Blitz,” which has so far resulted in more than 800 arrests according to the Department of Homeland Security.

There have also been two shootings, including one Saturday on the city’s Southwest Side.

Though the Trump administration insists ICE is targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds, reports have mounted of agents arresting those with no history of illegal activity, detaining children along with their parents and even handcuffing U.S. citizens. Immigrant and civil rights groups have alleged ICE is arresting people without warrants in violation of a federal consent decree.

The wave of raids and arrests has spurred large protests in recent weeks, especially outside of an ICE processing center in Broadview, a suburb eight miles west of Chicago. The demonstrations have spurred clashes between immigration agents and activists, leading to the arrests of several protestors last weekend on charges of resisting and assaulting officers. Agents have sprayed chemical agents and fired nonlethal rounds into the crowds outside the facility.

I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois

On Monday, Pritzker announced DHS was seeking 100 Illinois National Guard troops to protect ICE facilities and immigration agents in Illinois, warning the Trump administration would use any confrontation resulting from its Chicago-area immigration crackdown as a “pretext” for a military deployment.

On Saturday, the governor called the administration’s National Guard activation a ”manufactured performance” and not about protecting public safety.

“I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois,“ Pritzker said, pointing to the Illinois State Police’s announcement this week that it had joined forces with Broadview Police and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to form a “Unified Command” to coordinate law enforcement activity outside the ICE facility.

One of ISP’s first acts in Broadview was designating demonstration areas, also known as “free speech zones.” Pritzker on Saturday said the combined efforts of state and local law enforcement protected “people’s ability to peacefully exercise their constitutional rights.”

Protestors and reporters at Broadview ICE facility — Protestors and reporters gathered outside an immigration enforcement facility in Broadview on Saturday, Oct. 4.

The Unified Command reported the arrests of at least five protesters on Friday, and five more on Saturday night, as of 8 p.m. The area was quiet Saturday afternoon with only about a dozen protesters gathered, at times outnumbered by members of the media.

“I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people,” the governor said in his statement.

But shortly before Pritzker’s announcement about the National Guard deployment Saturday, a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot a woman in an altercation between immigration agents and protesters on Chicago’s Southwest Side.

According to reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times, the woman was alleged to have been driving one of 10 cars that “rammed” and “boxed in” nearly three dozen immigration agents in the city’s Brighton Park neighborhood. Agents fired “defensive shots” when they saw the woman was allegedly “armed with a semi-automatic weapon,” according to the paper. She was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The woman was one of two people charged by federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois with using their vehicles to "assault, impede, and interfere with the work of federal agents in Chicago."

Trump and Pritzker have spent weeks trading barbs over the president’s threats to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago, with the governor alleging Trump’s apparent backing off from the idea last month was a sign of dementia.

The governor has already vowed legal action against the Trump administration if and when the president activated the National Guard. After the president sent 1,400 National Guard troops to Los Angeles this summer — the first time since the 1960s that the feds deployed the National Guard without a governor’s consent — a federal judge last month ruled the move violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the power of the federal government to use military force for domestic matters. But the ruling only applies to California.

The National Guard’s presence in Los Angeles has dwindled to roughly 250, but there are still a couple thousand troops on assignment in Washington, D.C., where the federal government has more power over law enforcement. Since their August deployment to the nation’s capital, guardsmen have been reportedly picking up garbage, as they are only authorized to assist with arrests if asked by local law enforcement.

Trump has also threatened to federalize the National Guard in Portland, Oregon, though troops had not yet been sent as of Saturday evening. Tennessee’s Republican governor has welcomed the president’s recent suggestion that he’d deploy guardsmen to Memphis, but that has also yet to happen.

Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Washington, D.C. and Shelby County, Tennessee, where Memphis is situated, have all adopted so-called “sanctuary city” policies wherein local law enforcement are barred from assisting in federal immigration enforcement. Trump has targeted cities and states that have adopted such laws, and last week a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled the administration cannot withhold emergency funding from Illinois and other states based on those states’ refusal to participate in immigration enforcement.

...masked federal agents deployed a chemical irritant ...

But this week, Attorney General Kwame Raoul said he learned of another attempt by the White House to divert disaster relief funding from Illinois with four days remaining in the fiscal year “without any notice or explanation.”

Meanwhile, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem visited Illinois again on Friday. Noem has traveled to the Chicago area and Springfield several times this year, including last month when she oversaw an early morning raid in Elgin, where at least one U.S. citizen was arrested. “Secretary Noem should no longer be able to step foot inside the State of Illinois without any form of public accountability,” Pritzker said in a statement.

On Friday, Noem appeared with Gregory Bovino, commander-at-large of the U.S. Border Patrol, at the Broadview ICE facility with a camera crew, according to Chicago’s ABC 7.

Late Friday, Pritzker also said he’s making state resources available to people affected by a Sept. 30 raid on a South Shore apartment building.

In Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, masked federal agents deployed a chemical irritant outside of a grocery store as people and cars lined up to block their advancement, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

State Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, condemned the action, which happened around the corner from an elementary school in her district. Chicago Ald. Jessie Fuentes also alleges she was handcuffed by immigration agents while questioning them at a Humboldt Park medical center.

TAGS: Trump National Guard deployment, Illinois ICE raids, JB Pritzker reaction, Chicago protests, Operation Midway Blitz

Pritzker signs executive order to prepare tariff game plans' to protect the state

Illinois governor signs executive order that requires state agencies to draft plans to mitigate effects of the Trump Administration's tariffs last week.

by Ben Szalinski
Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order Monday requiring Illinois agencies to draft recommendations to respond to tariffs being implemented by President Donald Trump.

The order requires seven state agencies to “consider the specific impacts that the U.S. tariffs have had on Illinois and provide draft recommendations of measures to mitigate the impact of these tariffs” within the next 100 days, which would be Oct. 22. Pritzker said in a statement that tariffs amount to a tax increase on consumers and contribute to economic uncertainty.

“This Executive Order ensures we have a clear-eyed view of the impact the Trump Slump will cause from higher prices at the grocery store to uncertainty in our farms and factories,” Pritzker said. “We’re working with other states to stand up for working people and protect our economies when we can.”

The order cites large tariffs Trump has unilaterally implemented on most countries, including some of Illinois’ largest trading partners, saying the tariffs have raised prices for consumers and businesses and led to supply chain disruptions. The order says tariffs as well as retaliatory tariffs countries have imposed on the United States are hurting “vital sectors of the Illinois economy.”

After previously pushing off implementation of some tariffs until Aug. 1 to allow time for negotiations, Trump announced last week many countries will see tariffs take effect. His latest policy includes 35% tariffs on Canada, 30% on Mexico and the European Union, and between 25% and 40% on many Asian countries. The president previously imposed 145% tariffs on goods from China in the spring, but many of his latest rates are lower than they would have been earlier this year.

Illinois imports more goods from Canada than any other country.

Image courtesy Capitol News Illinois

Screenshot of executive order filing with Illinois Secretary of State by Gov. JB Pritzker, who issued his third executive order this year last week. The EO requires certain state agencies to draft plans to respond to federal tariffs.

Order’s requirements

Under Pritzker’s executive order, state agencies must examine the impact of tariffs on certain sectors of the economy or the agency’s operations.

The departments of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Employment Security will evaluate challenges reported by businesses, employment trends since tariffs have been implemented, and industries most affected by tariffs.

Pritzker’s executive order was part of actions taken by seven Democratic governors.

The Department of Human Services will evaluate trends in food donations and supply chain challenges for food assistance programs, as well as the purchasing power of food banks and their ability to meet demand.

The Department of Transportation and the Capitol Development Board will assess the impact of tariffs on construction costs, and the ability to purchase construction materials and complete projects within their timelines.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security will evaluate any impacts to stockpiles and the ability to obtain supplies, including staying prepared for emergencies within budget constraints.

Pritzker’s executive order was part of actions taken by seven Democratic governors to understand the impact of tariffs on their states.

We have an obligation to our heroes

Op-Ed by Darren Bailey

More than two dozen Illinois veterans residing at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home have died from COVID-19. If this seems familiar, you are correct. We’ve been down this road before.

"The obligation we have to these heroes and to their families is sacred and to have that obligation so thoroughly neglected is an unconscionable moral failing. This is incompetence. It is gross mismanagement. This is what happens when a governor refuses to take charge."

This statement isn’t being made by me. It was made more than two years ago by J.B. Pritzker, who was commenting about then-Governor Bruce Rauner and the Legionnaire’s Disease outbreak at the Quincy Veterans’ Home.

To date, 30 veterans have died due to the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home, with 89 percent of the residents infected. Apparently, state government hasn’t learned its lesson.

We have a moral obligation to our veterans and Governor Pritzker is failing to live up to that obligation. As J. B. previously pointed out, the buck stops at the Governor’s office.

Sentinel Op-Ed A recent report by the U.S. The Department of Veterans Affairs, cited by the online news site The Center Square, indicated the home’s problems included ventilation problems, ineffective hand sanitizer and a Halloween party staff reportedly attended. Where were Governor’s Pritzker’s mitigation rules?

According to media reports, staff who showed positive virus test results were also allowed to work in the home’s COVID wing. It’s also been reported, it took 12 days before the Illinois Department of Public Health responded to the LaSalle Veterans’ Home outbreak. Another media report by the Associated Press indicated the outbreak first began in late October when one staff member and a resident tested positive for COVID.

Given past experience with Legionnaire’s Disease, how quickly it spread at the Quincy Veterans Home, and the rapid increase in the number of positive COVID cases statewide, state government should have been on red alert.

In fact, it was known by late May that half of the COVID deaths were in nursing homes. If these congregate living arrangements would have been a priority, the elderly vets at LaSalle Veterans’ Home could have been better protected.

I join my legislative colleagues, Senators Sue Rezin whose district is home to the LaSalle Veterans’ Home and Paul Schimpf a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War, who are calling for additional legislative hearings to get to the bottom of this crisis that threatens the lives of our heroes. Lessons learned could help protect other Illinoisans at nursing homes around the state.

Our veterans deserve better than the failed leadership Pritzker has showed. Real leadership is more than just lecturing people, it is about real results.

"After fatally mismanaging the Quincy Veterans’ Home, @BruceRauner is letting persistent health issues jeopardize the wellbeing of our nation’s heroes. This is a shameful display of failed leadership." – J.B. Pritzker, March 30, 2018, Twitter

Governor Pritzker is bold enough to hand out advice, following it is apparently a different challenge.

Darren Bailey is an Illinois State Representative from the 109th District.

Letter to the Editor | Pritzker back grandstanding for media attention

Dear Editor,

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is back grandstanding for the news media, complaining about the immigration crisis trickling up to Illinois.

In October, Pritzker sent an open letter to President Biden begging for federal tax resources to deal with the so-called “asylum seekers” being bussed to Illinois. Not once in his appeal did Pritzker ask the administration to shut down the border or reinstate the successful “Remain in Mexico” policy of the Trump Administration.

This month, Pritzker paid the Austin American-Statesman newspaper to publish another open letter, this one addressed to Texas Governor Greg Abbot. Referencing the freezing temperatures of a typical Illinois winter, Pritzker pleads for mercy, pointing out that many lives are vulnerable to the cold weather.

Ironically, not one word was written to Biden about the critical need to secure the border. Wouldn’t it be nice to see an open letter in the USA Today in which Pritzker could appeal to the Biden Administration for serious enforcement?

And while Pritzker laments the lives at stake because of the season’s “dangerous winter storm and subzero temperatures,” there is not one mention of the tens of thousands of American lives being destroyed by fentanyl and other deadly drugs flowing into our cities.

If Gov. Pritzker were serious about this crisis, he’d speak out about the dangers of open borders and the failure of the executive branch to uphold federal immigration laws to protect the citizens of this great nation.

David E. Smith, Executive Director
Illinois Family Institute

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