Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sidestepped questions about his rumored 2028 presidential ambitions during a Sunday interview.
Pritzker said during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face The Nation” that he is “not thinking about” future Democratic presidential candidates. He also repeatedly told CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe during the interview that he is still planning on running for reelection in 2026.
“I’m not thinking about- that’s too far away,” Pritzker said, in reference to the 2028 Democratic presidential nominee. “Let’s talk about the 2026 election.”
“I am running for reelection,” Pritzker added.
When asked if Illinois voters can walk into the voting booth knowing that Priztker plans to serve a full term as governor if he is reelected in 2026, the Illinois Democrat said that he has “dedicated” himself “entirely” to his state. Still, Pritzker added that he does not “know what the future holds.”
“I’m — I’ve been in office now for six-and-a-half years,” Pritzker said. “I have dedicated myself, myself entirely to the state of Illinois, and I always will. I don’t know what the future holds. What I can tell you is I’m totally dedicated to upholding the rights of people in the state of Illinois and making sure that we’re protecting them, especially from a tyrant who’s taken over the White House.”
In late June, Pritzker launched his reelection bid for a third term as Illinois governor. Still, Pritzker has been growing his national profile this year amid rumors that he is weighing a presidential bid.
When asked during the Sunday interview if he is currently planning to run for president in 2028, Pritzker insisted that his plan is “to run for reelection as governor of the state.” He added that he thinks there is a “bench among the Democratic Party that is really terrific.”
“You know, I look around, we’ve got a bench among the Democratic Party that is really terrific,” Pritzker said during the interview. “I could point to governors. I could point to senators. I think there are a lot of good choices. I can just say that there, you know, there’s no reason for us not to be thinking about all of those choices and thinking about what is it that the American people really want? What they want is to be able to go to the grocery store and afford things. They want to be able to buy a house. They want to be able to get a good job, and those are things that Democrats are fighting for.”
When asked by O’Keefe if it was “responsible” and “accurate” to put Pritzker on that “bench” of potential 2028 presidential candidates, the Illinois governor replied that the Democratic Party has a “terrific group of people” who could be the next president of the U.S.
“What’s accurate is that we’ve got a terrific group of people who could be president of the U.S., on the Democratic side, and I’m happy to stand with them as we stand against [President] Donald Trump,” Pritzker said.
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