Day after winning 3rd term as Illinois governor, JB Pritzker announces 200-point national agenda, but remains mum on presidential ambitions
The 2026 midterm elections are not even 24 hours old, and already some tea leaves are being read about what's next for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who won a third term in office on Tuesday.
Pritzker beat out Republican challenger Darren Bailey to become the first Democrat elected to three terms as Illinois governor.
As he celebrated his victory on Wednesday, Pritzker discussed a very presidential sounding plan that he's pitching for Congress.
In the past two elections for governor, Pritzker used the morning after his victory to talk about the fall veto session in Springfield or the transition plan into a new term.
This time, Pritzker – who is widely considered a likely candidate for president in 2028 – pitched a 200-point plan for Congress on everything from the war in Iran to paying back the money collected from President Trump's tariffs.
At a victory celebration at Columbus Park on the West Side of Chicago, Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who was just elected to the U.S. Senate, presented Pritzker's day one agenda, titled "Fighting for Illinois."
The 200-point plan is focused on national and international affairs, and while Illinois is in the name, Washington is in the details.
"Two-hundred recommendations for immediate steps that the new Congress can take to intervene, reverse harmful decisions, and restore federal programs and investments," Pritzker said. "This is not a list of abstract goals or lofty demands, it is a practical roadmap for governing."
His 75-page playbook lays out a plan for Congress on how to reverse Trump administration policies and improve issues ranging from the war in Iran to regulation of artificial intelligence, from immigration to online betting markets.
Pritzker already has employed some of those policies in Illinois. Does it feel like a launching pad for a run for president?
"The amount of destruction that's been brought upon Illinois and upon states all across the United States is unprecedented," Pritzker said. "But we wanted to give them a guidebook, a playbook. This is a playbook that will be good for others."
He urged the new Congress to launch those plans immediately after taking office on Jan. 3.
Among those who could be eager to see him run for president in 2028, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) said if Pritzker does enter the race, "I will support him 110%."
In the end, what's next for Pritzker is being kept close to the vest, as he has offered no timeline on a decision about his potential presidential ambitions.
"I appreciate your faith in the idea that I might be a candidate for president," he said.
Pritzker also took some joy on Wednesday over a question about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's loss in Tuesday's election.
Abbott sent thousands of undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers to Illinois in 2022 to protest the state's sanctuary policies.
