Video: The WTTW News Spotlight Politics team discusses Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate announcement and more of the day’s top news. (Produced by Emily Soto)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is set to hold a rally in Philadelphia with Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday night, marking the first public appearance of the new team Democrats are counting on to keep control of the White House.
For a time, there was a chance it would be Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker sharing the stage.
Harris chose Walz as her running mate from a shortlist that reportedly included Pritzker following an accelerated vetting process. That quick choice was necessary after she became the party’s standard bearer in fast fashion following President Joe Biden’s abrupt announcement in late July that he wouldn’t run for reelection.
Harris was serious enough about Pritzker that the two-term billionaire governor reportedly met twice with her campaign. The attention around the vetting process only gave a boost to Pritzker’s national profile, something national politicos say is a huge boon for any potential future aspirations.
In a statement Tuesday morning, Pritzker praised the selection of fellow Midwesterner Walz.
“His unwavering commitment to improving the lives of working families and to lifting up the most vulnerable is why I’m so excited he will be the Democratic Party’s nominee for Vice President,” the statement reads. “Tim is a friend and fellow Midwestern governor, and I’ve been proud to serve alongside him. Vice President Kamala Harris once again has proven her leadership by choosing someone our party and the nation can be proud of.”
Pritzker added that he is fully committed to supporting the ticket and other Democrats “up and down the ballot here in Illinois and across the country.”
Read More: JB Pritzker Says It Was an Honor to be Vetted for VP Spot Despite ‘Grueling, Long Process’
State business, labor and reproductive rights leaders touted Pritzker with letters extolling his accomplishments in Illinois — a display of loyalty that may not have worked to get him on the 2024 ticket, but which can’t hurt as they pursue agendas in Illinois.
Pritzker, after all, has more than two years left on his term.
At least, if he stays through his term.
When asked on CNN last month about the prospect of serving as Harris’ vice president, Pritzker said “I love being governor of Illinois. The people of Illinois have graced me with that title for the last two elections and I’d be reluctant to make a change. But it would be hard to resist a call and consideration if the nominee called me to ask to be considered for vice president.”
He has not explicitly said whether he could resist a call from Harris should she win and want Pritzker to serve as a member of her Cabinet.
It’s a possibility that Sam Skinner, a Chicago lawyer who was chief of staff and secretary of transportation for President George H.W. Bush, could foresee.
“If in fact the Democratic Party candidate is elected (president) he’ll have an opportunity, if he wants to, to probably serve in the Cabinet or do something else,” Skinner said. “We’ve had governors that have left the governorship and gone on to serve in Cabinets, we have also people that have declined who are sitting governors … because they believe they have a stronger base, making a bigger difference as a governor.”
Bill Daley, who served as chief of staff to President Barack Obama and commerce secretary under President Bill Clinton, said whether he’d move on would be a personal decision for Pritzker should the opportunity arise, though he warns that judging from other governors who’ve gone on to Cabinet jobs, Pritzker may not like it.
“From a distance, I think he probably would be pretty frustrated with a Cabinet spot because it’s not as though you’re really on your own,” Daley said. “A lot of people who have gone form governors to Cabinet are, because they’re the No. 1 person as governor in a state, and in a Cabinet you’re one of 22, 23.”
Neither Skinner nor Daley have personal knowledge of Pritzker’s future political aspirations.
Should Pritzker have his sights set on Washington, another opportunity could present itself should U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, 79, decide not to run for reelection in 2026.
In Springfield on Monday, Durbin told reporters he hadn’t yet made up his mind, but there’s already open speculation about who may jockey for the position.
Daley said that if Pritzker decides after eight years as governor he’s ready for change and wants to run for U.S. Senate, the governor would be in the “pole position” to win the seat.
Just as with Durbin, any move by Pritzker would set off a huge shift among Democratic officials in Illinois resembling a game of political musical chairs.
But Daley said Durbin is also in pole position to hold onto the governor’s seat should he want to run for a third term in the 2026 statewide contests.
While it’s not common, Illinois’ constitution has no limits on how many terms a governor can serve. Gov. James R. Thompson was elected to four terms and held office for 14 years starting in 1977.
If Pritzker, 59, has his eye on the White House in the future, he’ll likely want to have some position in government.
“We move on if the person isn’t in office,” Skinner said.
Although Pritzker isn’t on the ’24 presidential ticket, Daley and Skinner both said just having his name in the running could help to boost his national profile for a later run, say in 2028 if Harris loses this year or should she win and bow out of running again.
It’s a matter of positioning himself, rather than waiting around, Daley said.
“Because he’s been working so hard on behalf of the (Biden/Harris) campaign, he has national recognition,” Skinner said. “Getting on the national stage and doing an excellent job as governor will position yourself, if it’s not this year, sometime in the future, to be their vice president or president candidate.”
Skinner said that activity lays a foundation for the future.
“You’ve got a national presence, a national persona,” Skinner said last week. “That will resonate well. More people will know of him today because he’s a candidate, (for Harris’s running mate), and even though he may not be selected, they will still know who he is.”
Serving as a surrogate for Biden and now Harris — a role that’s included making speeches to Democratic meetings in states including Florida, New Hampshire and Wisconsin — has also enabled Pritzker to establish relationships across the country, Daley said.
“He’s probably one of the better retail politicians in the Democratic Party,” Daley said last week. “I’m sure he’s built up a lot of relationships and that’s what the business is about – relationships. If he doesn’t get the vice presidency and Harris and her running mate lose, then he’s in a strong position to make a run after reelection in ’26, in ’28.”
By using his personal fortune to help fund campaigns for abortion rights candidates and ballot questions via the Think Big America PAC he established last year, Pritzker has also cultivated recognition, relationships and gratitude in Democratic circles outside Illinois that could prove helpful in a national run.
Pritzker could see his profile increase later this month when, in large part due to his campaigning for it, Chicago will host the Democratic National Convention.
The DNC has yet to release a speaker’s list, but as governor of the host state and as an unabashed critic of Republican nominee former President Donald Trump, Pritzker is apt to have a primetime role.
Harris had any number of reasons for not picking Pritzker and nothing that’s come out in the selection process is damaging for his political career. Her going with someone else will have very little impact on Pritzker, Daley predicted before Harris’ choice was made public.
“Other than his stature goes up a little because he was even considered,” Daley said.
Contact Amanda Vinicky: @AmandaVinicky | [email protected]
