Pritzker expected to announce campaign for 3rd term as Illinois Governor

CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to announce Thursday that he will be seeking a third term in office.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times and WGN, Pritzker is expected to kick off his candidacy with campaign kickoff events in Chicago and Springfield.

His running mate is still unknown, as current Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is running for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Sen. Dick Durbin.

During his time in office, Pritzker has legalized marijuana in Illinois, raised the minimum wage to $15, codified the state’s abortion rights, and abolished cash bail. He defeated Sen. Darren Bailey in a 2022 re-election.

Pritzker’s presidential ambitions remain unclear.

Pritzker has emerged as one of the Democrats’ most vocal opponents of President Donald Trump and has been headlining large Democratic fundraising events, including trips to Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Lesser known than other potential 2028 contenders, Pritzker drew national attention in February when he used a joint budget and State of the State address to make the case for a parallel between Trump’s rhetoric and the rise of Nazi Germany.

Since then, the divide between Pritzker and other Democratic governors, particularly those potentially eyeing the party’s 2028 presidential nomination, has only widened.

Pritzker has also done numerous interviews on national broadcasts since Trump was sworn in, increasing his visibility as one of Trump’s most vocal critics. 

The billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune also launched a pro-abortion organization, “Think Big America,” that provides funding for ballot measures in other states seeking to codify abortion access.

DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick announced he was going to run for the Republican nomination in the March 2026 primary.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.