Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday denied reports that he’s been directly contacted by Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign to gauge his interest in potentially running for vice president alongside her at the top of the Democratic ticket.
The Sun-Times first reported the Harris campaign called Pritzker Wednesday about the possibility of serving as her running mate, but the Illinois governor told reporters that Harris’ campaign “did not call me yesterday.”
“I have had a number of conversations with people I do regularly with the [Harris] campaign, and as you know, I’ve been traveling the country to promote the Biden-Harris ticket, and now, of course, the Harris-led ticket,” Pritzker said at a press conference announcing security perimeters for the Democratic National Convention.
Asked directly about the call, Pritzker responded, “I don’t want to talk about any private conversations that I’ve had, but I will say that I have said directly to the vice president that I’m going to do everything and anything that is necessary to make sure that we beat Donald Trump and JD Vance.”
A source with knowledge of the discussion confirmed the governor’s conversation with the Harris campaign to the Sun-Times, and the paper stands by the story it published.
National media outlets have also reported Pritzker is among about a dozen of potential running mates being vetted by the Harris campaign, a list that also includes Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Pritzker hardly quashed the VP talk Thursday, saying “I don’t know anybody who is involved in Democratic politics that isn’t talking to the Harris campaign, if you have the opportunity to.”
“I know people working on the campaign and I’m involved in transmitting the message of the campaign, so I’m excited about the next 100 days,” Pritzker said.
He added, “I really have been honored to have been elected twice as governor of the state of Illinois. I really enjoy the work. It’s sometimes very challenging, but always the opportunity to serve the 13 million people of our state… there’s not much that would pull me away from that job.”
At a separate South Side news conference, Pritzker offered his take on the most important characteristics of any potential running mate, chiefly whether “it’s someone who could actually take over the job if something were to happen to the president.”
“No. 2, of course is someone that you’re compatible with, you can talk to bounce ideas off of, and who can advance the cause that the president believes in,” he said. “Making sure that you can win in November is also an important factor, but it’s the third one on the list. And I do think that’s an important one: who can take the case to Donald Trump on behalf of Kamala Harris.”