After helping Texas Democrats take refuge in Illinois amid a redistricting battle last year, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker came to Texas on Friday to rally Democrats as they fight for their first blue statewide seat in 32 years.
The Democratic governor is also building coalitions in key states that can prove helpful should he run for president in 2028.
Pritzker vs. Abbott
Pritzker and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have been publicly at odds since 2022, when Abbott started sending tens of thousands of migrants to Chicago.
Pritzker mentioned Abbott in his speech to the Texas Democratic convention, saying he had been optimistic about his post-pandemic work as Illinois governor, until the buses began to appear.
“My renewed optimism seemed warranted. Then Gov. Abbott bused 540,000 immigrants to Chicago, many in the middle of winter with no coats left to brave the freezing temperatures with no food for their families,” Pritzker said. “And Abbott was unwilling to coordinate.”
Pritzker said the crisis represented President Donald Trump’s foothold on “the consciousness of the nation: “Something dark and ugly flooded into our politics, as if a gate around our worst instincts had crumbled.”
Pritzker is making inroads with state parties
Pritzker is no stranger to fiery political speeches, including an April 2025 New Hampshire Democratic Party address that fueled 2028 presidential bid speculation. In that address, Pritzker blasted the Democratic Party for a “culture of timidity,” and said Republicans “cannot know a moment a peace,” words he later had to defend after Republicans like White House chief of staff Stephen Miller said were inciting violence. Pritzker pushed back and said he was referring to Democratic resistance, not violence.
State party addresses have given the governor introductions and also an opportunity to gain alliances in states he would need support from should he run for president in 2028.
Democrats fighting back in red Texas
Texas is trying to win a statewide Democratic seat for the first time since 1994 — and Pritzker has frequently been a cheerleader, in words and dollars, in battleground states. The Democratic governor on June 24 hosted a fundraiser for Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico in Chicago — and he contributed $3,500 to his primary campaign in March. The race is expected to be one of the most expensive contests in the country. Talarico, a state representative, was among 40 Texas House Democrats who came to Illinois last year to deny Republicans a quorum needed to approve new maps to expand the GOP’s congressional majority.
Pritzker is showing up in presidential polls, even slightly
The Illinois governor has repeatedly laughed off questions about his political future and said he’s focused exclusively on winning his third term for governor, but pollsters are indeed including Pritzker in presidential polls. Recent polls have shown Pritzker polling between 1% and 7%. An Emerson College poll conducted between May 24 and 25 had Pritzker at 4%. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg topped that poll at 18%, followed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom at 16% and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 11%, according to a poll results being collected by the New York Times. A national poll conducted by Echelon Insights in April had former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as an asterisk at less than 1%, Axios reported.
Pritzker leaning in on Democratic Party critiques, not just Trump bashing
Pritzker spent much of his speech talking about the need for the Democratic Party to account for its mistakes, and to rebuild. Prior to the 2024 presidential election, Pritzker placed most of his focus on critiquing Trump.
In his Friday speech, Pritzker blamed Democratic Party leaders for growing “complacent” and “letting nostalgia for parts of our political past replace efforts to innovate our political future.”
“Unwilling to break old customs to build new foundations, it seems like everyone on our side thought democracy was a garden that didn’t need tending, forgetting that weeds need to be pulled up by their roots, not just occasionally mowed down,” Pritzker said.
At a Chicago event on June 16, Pritzker said Democrats running for president need to focus “not just on restoration, but also a renewal of American values.”
“I think Democrats over the years have kind of lost our way. It’s very important to me that we actually follow through,” Pritzker said.