Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker suggested that members of his own party are too weak to stand up to Republicans during a Sunday night speech in New Hampshire.
Pritzker slammed his fellow Democrats for conceding power to the Republican Party, claiming they have spent too long listening to “do nothing political types.” He also criticized some Democrats for blaming the party’s losses in the 2024 election cycle on issues such as transgenderism and immigration.
“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of black people and trans kids and immigrants — instead of their own lack of guts and gumption,” Pritzker said.
The Democratic governor notably called for “mass protests” against the Trump administration during his speech.
“It’s time to fight everywhere and all at once,” Pritzker said. “Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. But I am now. These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace.”
“We need to knock off the rust of poll-tested language, decades of stale decorum,” he added. “It’s obscured our better instincts.”
While the two-term Democratic governor previously hinted that he would be open to seeking a third term, there has been growing speculation in recent months that he may launch a 2028 presidential bid. Pritzker, who is a billionaire, is known for frequently shelling out large sums of money for Democratic causes.
The Democratic Party is facing tanking approval ratings and a lack of effective messaging as they gear up for the 2026 midterm elections. Democrats have also been grappling with an intraparty controversy after Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg announced plans to unseat some incumbent House Democrats in the 2026 Congressional primaries, which sparked fierce backlash among party members.
“Think he [Pritzker] was pretty clear in his comments,” a spokesperson for Pritzker’s office told the Daily Caller News Foundation when reached for comment.
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