Pritzker flexes political muscle with Stratton victory amid 2028 chatter

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) flexed his political muscle in the Illinois Senate primary to propel Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton to victory, as chatter builds about his larger political ambitions.  

The billionaire and possible 2028 presidential contender’s endorsement and financial support for his second-in-command buoyed Stratton to defeat Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly in Tuesday’s primary. She is all but certain to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D) in the blue stronghold this November. 

It’s welcome news for the Illinois governor, whose involvement in the race has elevated his political clout as speculation stirs about a possible White House bid.

“A lot of people have suggested that this was personal to me,” Pritzker said Tuesday night at Stratton’s watch party.  

“They were right. It was,” he continued. “Because I wanted to be there for Juliana in all the ways that she was there for me.” 

Former Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), a former chair of the House Democrats’ campaign arm who remained neutral in Tuesday’s contest, contrasted Krishnamoorthi’s double-digit polling advantage, boosted by outsized fundraising, ahead of the race with Stratton’s ultimate victory on Tuesday — noting “there’s a direct correlation and straight line to JB Pritzker on that.”

“He made all the difference for her,” Bustos added.  

Pritzker donated at least $5 million to the Illinois Future PAC that backed Stratton and poured more than $12 million into her race against Krishnamoorthi, a prolific fundraiser. The PAC, which aired ads in support of Stratton that heavily featured Prizker, was helmed by several of his key operatives and alumni from the governor’s office.

And while Stratton, a former state House lawmaker, had her work cut out for her introducing herself to Democrats in Illinois, she was aided by the fact she had run statewide successfully with Pritzker twice before. 

She is projected to win the primary contest by about 7 points, according to Decision Desk HQ.

As Stratton duked it out with Krishnamoorthi and Kelly for the Democratic nod, the lieutenant governor positioned herself, like Pritzker, as President Trump’s chief antagonist. She called for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be abolished — a step further from Krishnamoorthi, who said “Trump’s ICE” should be disbanded. 

Stratton also zeroed in on the congressman’s fundraising, particularly a previous campaign contribution from Shyam Sankar, a Trump adviser and top Palantir executive. Krishnamoorthi’s campaign said he later donated that money to various “immigrant rights groups,” while calling Pritzker’s second-in-command hypocritical because she has accepted corporate PAC money in a state fund and a hybrid PAC.

The Congressional Black Caucus, which backed Kelly over Stratton, criticized Pritzker’s spending in the race, arguing in a statement to Punchbowl News that “a sitting governor shouldn’t be heavy-handing the race” amid concerns that the rivals could divide Black voter support in the state. Pritzker and Kelly have been at odds for years, clashing over state party leadership back in 2022.

Regardless, Illinois Democratic strategist Tom Bowen called Pritzker’s influence a “huge factor” in a race without stark ideological divides between the candidates.   

“If you’re a Democrat in Illinois, you believe very strongly that the governor is doing a good job because of his policies, because of what he’s done in opposition to President Trump. And the fact that his voice is speaking to Democratic voters and saying, ‘I think Juliana would be a good senator,’ it’s just not hard for voters to go, ‘Sure, that works.'” 

Stratton’s victory was the standout among a handful of Tuesday wins for Pritzker. He also notched a win in the primary race for Illinois comptroller, where he backed state Rep. Margaret Croke (D) to become the state’s next chief fiscal control officer, and in the primary for Cook County Board president, where he supported incumbent Toni Preckwinkle.  

“To get a ‘W’ like that on the board and to be the one who sort of fueled it, I think it shows JB’s much more in touch with where Democratic primary voters are right now,” said Democratic strategist Mike Nellis, whose firm worked on Kelly’s campaign but who did not personally work on her bid, of Stratton’s victory. 

Pritzker, who will face Republican Darren Bailey in a rematch for the governor’s mansion in November, has said he’s focused on his 2026 reelection bid.

But that hasn’t stopped observers from reading Pritzker’s strong anti-Trump stance as groundwork for a possible presidential bid. Some have even noted his recent weight loss as possible campaign preparation.  

The governor has regularly cropped up on polls of a potential 2028 Democratic primary field, though his support has stayed in the single digits. He scored 3 percent support in February in an Emerson College poll, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) leading the field at 20 percent. And he notched 6 percent in a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll in March, with former Vice President Kamala Harris leading at 39 percent.  

“It’s a pothole that he steered around,” said Brian Gaines, a professor of state politics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, of Pritzker and Stratton’s Tuesday win. 

“He doesn’t have to explain away how it is that the candidate he preferred lost, and he can quietly take some credit for her win,” Gaines continued. “It’s not a decisive blow in his invisible battle with Gavin Newsom to become the [2028 presidential] front-runner, but it’s helpful.” 

Bowen, though, shrugged off the idea that Pritzker’s endorsement in the Senate race would have implications for any future ambitions beyond the state.  

“I just don’t know the voter that makes a decision about a candidate based on the people that they have endorsed,” Bowen said. “I just don’t think voters pick up on the quote-unquote invisible primary stuff until you get to that season, and that’s years away. There’s a midterm election first.”  

Pritzker’s not the only Democratic presidential contender who’s nabbed an early political win amid early 2028 speculation.

Last year, Newsom scored a key victory when California voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure to further instill the Democratic advantage in the Golden State’s congressional maps. While these early wins for Newsom and Pritzker are significant, strategists say there’s a chance their posture could fizzle out before 2028.

“I think the challenge now for a lot of these candidates is not peaking early,” Nellis said.  

“There’s going to be plenty of opportunity for JB … to actually fight, because there’s going to be some serious s— going down here, I have to assume, knowing the Trump administration,” he added. 

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Trump’s takeover of DC landmarks reaches legal apex

Rand Paul confronts Markwayne Mullin over ‘snake’ remark; says he has ...

Thune: Republicans will use SAVE Act in midterms if Democrats don’t get ‘on ...

US military drops 5,000-pound deep-penetrator bombs near Strait of Hormuz 

Judge skeptical over Trump ballroom project amid new bid to halt it 

GOP tempers flare over how to pass SAVE America Act

Rand Paul says he’s a ‘no’ vote on Mullin for DHS secretary

Mullin says FEMA should be ‘restructured’ and that he’ll end Noem’s ...

Mullin agrees to meet with committee behind closed doors after dustup over ...

Watch live: Powell gives remarks as Federal Reserve keeps rates steady amid ...

Ossoff grills Gabbard on whether Iran posed ‘imminent nuclear threat’

Republicans collide with Trump over no-excuse absentee voting, SAVE Act

Peters presses Mullin to explain past comments: ‘Where did you smell war?’

Live updates: Paul tussles with Mullin at DHS hearing; Iran operation dominates ...

Bolton says he briefed Trump on Iran scenarios: ‘Hard to believe that he ...

Trump talk about taking over countries will ‘come back to bite us in the rear ...

Judge permanently blocks Ten Commandments displays at several Arkansas school ...

Vance on Joe Kent resignation: ‘Nobody likes war’

© The Hill