Gov. JB Pritzker gives a victory speech to a crowd gathered at the Aon Grand Ballroom in Chicago on Tuesday. (Cameron Levasseur | The Daily Line)

 

Democrat JB Pritzker was elected to a historic third term as Illinois governor on Tuesday, riding a national midterm environment that heavily favored his party to victory. 

 

The Associated Press called the race for Pritzker at 7:01 p.m., one minute after polls closed. He defeated Republican nominee Darren Bailey.

 

Pritzker is the state’s first Democratic governor to win a third consecutive term. It’s the second straight election in which he has defeated Bailey. 

 

In his victory speech, Pritzker struck a tone of progress. He cited accomplishments in his first two terms — including a minimum wage increase, universal paid leave and an assault weapon ban. On future policy aims, the governor largely spoke of federal reforms, targeting the healthcare system, campaign finance laws and a desire to “rescue the American dream.”

“It is simply unacceptable that both the essentials and the joys of living life have moved out of reach for almost every working class American,” Pritzker said. “This life – this one precious, beautiful life – needs to be about more than grinding it out every day until the day you die.”

 

The billionaire governor, a heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune and a former venture capitalist, is among a laundry list of Democrats who appear to be positioning themselves to run for president in 2028.

 

Pritzker has become a national face of Democratic opposition to Republican President Donald Trump and federalized many of the issues at the center of Pritzker's reelection campaign. He’s flexed his wealth this election cycle to support Democrats in out-of-state races, dumping millions into battlegrounds like Texas and others — like South Carolina and New Hampshire — that will be some of the first to vote in Democratic presidential primaries.

 

In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” over the weekend, Pritzker did not rule out a presidential run.

 

“My focus is on what’s best for the people of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “I’m running for reelection here because we’ve made a lot of progress, but there’s still more progress to go. So that’s what I’m focused on.”

 

In his speech Tuesday, the governor mentioned Trump more than Bailey and referenced the speculation over his political future.

“There is one question I have gotten a lot in the last few months: what’s next?” Pritzker said. “The answer is simple. I’m going to ask you to continue to hope — and to wrap your hope in courage. We climbed one mountain tonight. But we are sitting at the base of another.”

If Pritzker becomes president, the job of Illinois governor would fall to Christian Mitchell, a former state representative and Pritzker aide elected as the state’s first male Black lieutenant governor on Tuesday.

 

“Whether you voted for us or not, JB and I will work to continue our progress,” Mitchell said in a speech. “We will fight to make your life better and to make you even prouder to call Illinois home.”