JP

J.B. Pritzker

DemocraticGovernor of Illinois
↗ Campaign site↗ ILSBE filing (32762)

Raised

$25,500,000

THE JACKET

Who funds J.B. Pritzker?

$25,500,000

Source: https://www.illinoissunshine.org/committees/32762/

Self funded$25,500,000(100%)
Self funded
DonorCategoryAmountStatus
J.B. Pritzker (self)Self-funded$25,500,000confirmed

Red Flags

🚩ethicsRemoved toilets from Gold Coast mansion to dodge $330K in property taxes

In October 2015, M.K. Pritzker had five toilets removed from the couple's second Gold Coast mansion at 1431 N. Astor St. (purchased in 2007 for $3.7 million) so it would be classified 'uninhabitable,' triggering a property tax assessment drop from $6.3 million to $1.1 million. Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard concluded this was 'a scheme to defraud' the county. Total benefit: $132,747.18 in property tax refunds for 2012–2014 and $198,684.85 in savings for 2015–2016, totaling $331,432. Pritzker repaid the county $330,000 in October 2018, only after the IG report was leaked during the campaign. Federal prosecutors later requested records from the Cook County assessor's office about the scheme.

Source: → https://www.npr.org/2018/10/03/654201077/illinois-gov-candidate-removed-mansions-toilets-to-dodge-taxes-report-finds

🚩governanceIllinois pension unfunded liability hit $143.7 billion under his tenure

Illinois' five state pension systems carried an unfunded liability of $143.7 billion as of June 2025, measured at market value of assets — up $1.5 billion year-over-year. Illinois has the highest net pension liability per capita in the nation at nearly $17,500 per resident and the second-highest total net pension liabilities after California. The state pays $32 million every day just to service the five state pension systems. Despite ten credit upgrades, the structural pension hole remains unaddressed by constitutional reform.

Source: → https://www.illinoispolicy.org/1-million-a-day-x-600-years-to-fill-illinois-pension-hole/

🚩governanceIllinois property taxes are the highest in the nation at 1.83% effective rate

Illinois homeowners paid an average effective property tax rate of 1.83% in 2024, ranking highest in the nation per the Illinois Policy Institute and Tax Foundation data — more than double the national average. On a median-priced Illinois home of $250,500, that equals $4,584 per year. Earlier rankings placed Illinois second to New Jersey; the Tax Foundation's 2025 data places Illinois #1 for effective property tax rate.

Source: → https://www.illinoispolicy.org/no-2-no-more-illinois-property-taxes-rank-highest-in-u-s/

🚩governance364,443 Illinoisans fled to other states from April 2020 through June 2023

U.S. Census Bureau data released December 19, 2023 showed Illinois lost 263,780 net residents from April 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023. The entire decline was driven by domestic out-migration: 364,443 Illinoisans moved to other states during that period. Illinois marked its 10th consecutive year of population decline in 2023. Births outpaced deaths and international migration was positive, meaning tax/cost environment — not demographics — was the driver of net loss.

Source: → https://www.illinoispolicy.org/46400-extra-illinoisans-found-but-364443-others-moved-away/

🚩governanceBoeing, Caterpillar, and Citadel all left Illinois in summer 2022

All three major Illinois corporate anchors announced headquarters departures within weeks of each other in 2022: Boeing announced in May 2022 it would move from Chicago to the Arlington, Virginia area to be closer to federal regulators; Caterpillar announced in June 2022 it was moving its HQ from Deerfield, IL to Irving, Texas; Citadel announced June 23, 2022 it was moving from Chicago to Miami, with founder Ken Griffin citing a better corporate environment and after colleagues were 'mugged at gunpoint' and 'stabbed on the way to work.' The Tax Foundation found Illinois' business climate declined 10 spots in the prior five years — the only Midwestern state to drop — after Pritzker imposed $650 million in new taxes on businesses during pandemic recovery.

Source: → https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/06/23/billionaire-ken-griffins-citadel-becomes-latest-company-to-move-headquarters-out-of-illinois/

🚩conflict_of_interestPritzker blind trust companies received $20 billion in state contracts since he took office

Pritzker's blind trust of investments includes 12 different companies that collectively obtained more than $20 billion in state contracts since he took office in January 2019. Critics argue the blind trust structure does not fully eliminate conflicts of interest when the governor oversees state procurement that benefits entities in which he maintains financial interests.

Source: → https://www.illinoispolicy.org/pritzker-spends-323m-on-2-campaigns-for-governor/

🚩ethics2008 FBI wiretap captured Pritzker using racial language about Obama Senate seat candidates

In May 2017, the Chicago Tribune published an 11-minute FBI wiretap recording from 2008 in which Pritzker and then-Governor Rod Blagojevich discussed filling Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat. Pritzker described appointing then-Secretary of State Jesse White as it would 'cover you on the African-American thing' and called White the 'least offensive' Black candidate. Pritzker later apologized; White accepted the apology and continued to endorse him. No criminal charges were filed against Pritzker.

Source: → https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JB_Pritzker

🚩electabilitySelf-funding a combined $350M on two campaigns raises democracy and corruption-reform concerns

Pritzker spent $171.5 million of his own money on the 2018 campaign and $152 million on the 2022 race — a combined $323 million (some sources cite up to $350 million when accounting for all PAC transfers). He additionally donated $24 million to the Democratic Governors Association in 2022, which spent millions on attack ads helping prop up weaker Republican opponent Darren Bailey over the stronger Richard Irvin. For 2026, Pritzker deposited $25.5 million of his own money by November 2025 and has already signaled he will spend what it takes.

Source: → https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/17/pritzker-25-million-2026-campaign/

🚩policySAFE-T Act opponents cited murder defendants released on electronic monitoring pre-trial

After cash bail was eliminated September 18, 2023 under the SAFE-T Act (HB 3653), critics including Republican state's attorneys argued defendants charged with serious crimes including murder were being released on electronic monitoring rather than detained. The law allows detention only when a judge determines a defendant poses 'a specific, real and present threat to a person' or has a 'high likelihood of willful flight.' The Illinois Supreme Court upheld the law 5-2 on July 18, 2023 with Republican justices dissenting. Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, who supported the law, called the Supreme Court ruling 'a monumental milestone toward achieving equal justice.'

Source: → https://news.wttw.com/2023/07/18/illinois-supreme-court-upholds-safe-t-act-provision-eliminating-cash-bail

🚩electabilityActive 2028 presidential campaign-in-waiting while running for 2026 re-election

Pritzker headlined a New Hampshire Democratic Party fundraiser in April 2025 — the first major foray by a potential 2028 presidential contender into an early primary state — and has made cross-country speaking engagements throughout 2025 stoking presidential speculation. He announced his 2026 re-election bid on June 26, 2025, while simultaneously not ruling out a 2028 presidential run. He appeared on Meet the Press in August 2025 and declined to rule out a White House bid. His dark money group Think Big America, which he funds as sole donor, received $6.8 million in the 2024 tax year supporting pro-abortion rights causes nationally.

Source: → https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/27/us/politics/jb-pritzker-2028-new-hampshire-trump-democrats.html

Bio

Jay Robert Pritzker (born January 19, 1965) is the 43rd Governor of Illinois, serving since January 14, 2019 and seeking a historic third term in 2026. An heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune with an estimated net worth of $3.9 billion (Forbes, August 2025), he self-funded $171.5 million in 2018 and $152 million in 2022 — a combined $323 million — making him the most self-financed governor in Illinois history. As governor he signed landmark legislation including cannabis legalization (2019), a $15/hour minimum wage phased in through 2025, the SAFE-T Act eliminating cash bail (2021, effective September 18, 2023), the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (September 15, 2021), and an assault weapons ban (January 10, 2023). Illinois earned 10 credit rating upgrades across Moody's, S&P, and Fitch between June 2021 and October 2025 under his watch, reversing 24 prior downgrades. Running for a third term amid national speculation about a 2028 presidential bid, Pritzker headlined a New Hampshire Democratic Party fundraiser in May 2025 — the first major foray by a potential 2028 presidential contender into an early primary state.

Prior office: Governor of Illinois (2019–present)

Key Votes

  • signedLifting Up Illinois Working Families Act / SB 1 (2019)

    Signed February 19-20, 2019. Raised Illinois minimum wage from $8.25/hour in 2019 in annual increments to $15/hour by January 1, 2025 — a 7-year phase-in. Illinois became the first Midwestern state to reach $15/hour. The final (7th) increase took effect January 1, 2025. Small business employers received a tax credit to offset some costs during the phase-in period.

  • signedIllinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act / SB 1557 (2019)

    Signed June 25, 2019; effective January 1, 2020. Made Illinois the 11th state to legalize adult-use cannabis. Cleared criminal records of those convicted for possessing under 30 grams — Pritzker pardoned ~11,000 people Dec. 31, 2019 and expunged 490,000 arrest records in 2020. Tax revenue directed to communities harmed by the war on drugs. Cannabis generated $10.4 million in tax revenue in the first month (January 2020), $445.3 million by end of 2022, and $2 billion total by end of 2024, generating roughly $490 million in sales tax revenue.

  • signedReproductive Health Act / SB 25 (2019)

    Signed June 2019. Repealed the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975 and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. Enshrined the 'fundamental right' to make autonomous reproductive decisions and denied zygotes, embryos, and fetuses independent legal rights under Illinois law. After Dobbs v. Jackson overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Illinois became an abortion access state for the South and Midwest; 30% of Illinois abortions in 2023 were performed on out-of-state patients, and Illinois abortions increased by over 45% in the year after Dobbs.

  • signedSAFE-T Act / HB 3653 (2021)

    Signed February 22, 2021 at Chicago State University. The Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act made sweeping criminal justice reforms: eliminated cash bail (replaced with judge-determined risk assessment hearings), required police body cameras by 2025, banned chokeholds, created new police decertification processes, narrowed the felony murder rule, and ended prison gerrymandering. The cash bail elimination provision (Pretrial Fairness Act) was set for Jan. 1, 2023 but was challenged in court and ultimately upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court 5-2 on July 18, 2023; it took effect September 18, 2023, making Illinois the first state in the nation to abolish cash bail.

  • signedClimate and Equitable Jobs Act / SB 2408 (2021)

    Signed September 15, 2021. The nearly 1,000-page law (Public Act 102-0662) sets Illinois on a path to 100% clean energy by 2050, phasing out coal plants, providing subsidies to keep nuclear plants running (including Exelon facilities that had threatened closure), establishing clean energy workforce development programs focused on environmental justice communities, and requiring Ameren and ComEd to fund expanded energy efficiency programs. It created new clean energy jobs programs targeting communities historically reliant on fossil fuel industries.

  • signedAssault Weapons Ban / HB 5471 (2023)

    Signed January 10, 2023 — hours after final General Assembly passage — in the aftermath of the July 4, 2022 Highland Park parade mass shooting that killed 7. Bans the sale and manufacture of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines, bans 'switches' that convert legal handguns into automatic weapons, and extends firearm restraining orders. Made Illinois the 9th state to ban assault-style weapons. The law was immediately challenged in court with multiple lawsuits filed by gun rights groups; legal battles continued through 2025.

  • signedRebuild Illinois Capital Plan (2019)

    Signed June 2019. A $45 billion, 6-year capital infrastructure plan — Illinois' first major capital investment in a decade. Allocated $3.2 billion for public colleges and universities, billions for roads and bridges, and $420 million for the Southwestern Illinois Development Authority. Funded by a doubling of the state gas tax (from 19 cents to 38 cents per gallon) and increased vehicle registration fees, which were criticized by Republicans and motorists.

  • signedFY2020 Balanced Budget (2019)

    Signed June 5, 2019. A bipartisan $40 billion balanced budget for fiscal year 2019-2020 — the first balanced budget after multiple years of budget impasses under predecessor Bruce Rauner, who went 736 days without a budget (2015–2017), leaving the state with a $6 billion backlog of unpaid bills. The budget increased K-12 education funding by $379 million, added $80 million for DCFS, and implemented a 'tax amnesty' program. Pritzker has since signed seven consecutive balanced budgets through FY2026.

  • signedClean Slate Act / HB 1836 (2026)

    Signed January 16, 2026. Automatically seals the nonviolent criminal records of over 1.7 million Illinois adults, eliminating the need to petition a court for record sealing. Designed to improve employment and housing access for people with past nonviolent convictions. Critics argued automatic sealing without victim notification goes too far; supporters noted the existing petition process was too burdensome for low-income residents.

  • signedCOVID-19 Disaster Proclamation and Executive Orders (2020)

    Beginning March 13, 2020, Pritzker issued a series of executive orders closing schools (March 17–31), bars and restaurants (March 15), crowd gatherings to 50 people (March 16), and ultimately a statewide stay-at-home order (March 20, 2020). The orders were among the strictest in the Midwest and faced multiple legal challenges including from an Illinois state legislator (April 23, 2020), churches, and restaurants — most of which courts ultimately rejected. Pritzker extended restrictions through multiple phases, drawing criticism from rural counties and business owners. Illinois eventually implemented vaccine priority systems and mandates for state employees.

  • signedClean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act / CRGA (January 2026)

    Signed January 2026. An energy reform package that lifts Illinois' longstanding moratorium on new nuclear power plant construction, creates incentives for battery storage systems, and introduces 'virtual power plants' to harness distributed wind and solar resources. Seen as a major policy shift given Illinois had banned new nuclear plant construction for decades. Framed as addressing grid reliability concerns as aging coal plants close under CEJA's timeline.