Gov. JB Pritzker takes the stage on election night in 2022 after winning a second term as governor. [Ben Szalinski/The Daily Line]   

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker refused to rule out trying to replace President Joe Biden on the ticket if Biden were to decide to drop out of the race when asked by reporters Tuesday.  

Pritzker took questions from reporters in his first scheduled public appearance since Biden’s poor debate performance on June 27 sparked apparent panic within the Democratic Party about the president’s ability to win a second term. Pritzker briefly commented on the debate at the Chicago pride parade and in an interview with CNN. 

The second-term governor of Illinois, who has been repeatedly asked about his possible interest in running for president since winning reelection easily in 2022, worked his way around a question asking if he will commit not to run for president like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has should Biden drop out. Whitmer, one of several Democratic governors floated as a possible replacement for Biden, told the Associated Press this week she is not interested in running in 2024 no matter what Biden decides.  

“I don’t like seeing my name in articles like that because I’m totally focused on governing and campaigning for the ticket,” Whitmer said.  

Pritzker refused to answer the question about if he would step in to fill Biden’s spot, but he also didn’t rule it out.  

“I’m not engaging in any hypotheticals,” Pritzker said. “You can see that I’m all in for Joe Biden. Joe Biden’s going to be the nominee for the Democratic Party.”  

Biden has expressed no interest in dropping out the race, even as Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois, worry he can’t beat former President Donald Trump and call someone else to run. Biden could be officially nominated by the Democratic National Convention delegates in a virtual meeting some time before the Chicago convention in mid-August after Ohio lawmakers moved up the statutory date to certify candidates to early August.   

Like other governors who have been rumored to be interested in replacing Biden, Pritzker has remained a visible face on the campaign trail for Biden outside Illinois. Later this week he will head to Indiana and Ohio for events with the Democratic Party in those states. Pritzker said his out-of-state campaigning isn’t necessarily about his own ambitions.   

“You could say that about any of the surrogates who are traveling around the Midwest or the country that they’re introducing themselves in some way or another,” Pritzker said. “Importantly what we’re doing is talking about why it’s important to reelect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and why it’s important to defeat Donald Trump.”  

Pritzker was one of a handful of Democratic governors to conference with Biden at the White House last week about Biden’s future in the race and what he needs to do better on the campaign trail. Pritzker described the 81-year-old president as “fully engaged” in a “very good discussion” with the governors and added that “of course” Biden is mentally and physically capable of serving four more years in the White House.   

Pritzker, 59, said he told the president at that meeting that he needs to improve his campaigning and do more events with the media, take questions and spend more time in front of voters discussing policy. Pritzker routinely takes questions from reporters at public events and typically holds at least one public event with questions from the press each week.   

While some backing Biden have argued since the debate that the media has devoted too much attention to Biden’s age and single debate performance, Pritzker said the scrutiny is fair.   

“He needs to go out there and answer all the questions and he needs to show people that he is the leader of the free world and that he’s doing a heck of a job,” Pritzker said, echoing comments he made to CNN.   

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson joined other mayors in a similar meeting with Biden on Tuesday night.