* The governor’s speech last night got a lot of tongues wagging…
* And he was asked repeatedly about it today at a press conference…
Reporter: Was it cost-efficient to spend 150? million? And how much do you plan to spend on a presidential run?
Pritzker: Let’s put that last part aside for a moment and just say Illinois is worth it. As you know that we had two MAGA billionaires who were coming against us, attacking everything that we stand for. They spent over $100 million. And we’re not just going to sit and get pummeled by them, we’re going to defend ourselves and tell people what we stand for and fight back. And so that’s what we did. And we did so in a way that let everybody know what we stand for, and why Illinois needs to move in the direction that it will. And overwhelmingly Illinois agreed with us.
Reporter: You haven’t answered that presidential run. How much time do you have to think about it before you make that decision?
Pritzker: I am not focused on that at all. I am focused on serving as governor for the next four years, it’s really the most important thing to me is we have a lot of challenges that Illinois needs to overcome, we’ve got to work hard on it. And I’ll be doing that. […]
Reporter: …That was a national level speech. You were addressing national issues. You didn’t mention your opponent once, you referred to Trump twice, referred to MAGA a couple of times. I mean, this seemed to go down the contours of the Great River on one side and the Great Lake on the other side.
Pritzker: I was expressing my values, these are my values. You know that I helped to build a Holocaust museum here, you know that I have fought against hate really for my entire life. I really believe that the Republican Party and that especially includes the Illinois Republican Party, who nominated Darren Bailey, that they stand for the MAGA Republican ideas, Donald Trump. That party has been taken over entirely. Clearly. And so I wanted to make clear what I stand for. That’s all. Look, I’m an Illinoisan through and through. I want to be the governor of Illinois for the next four years. And I’m excited to make sure that we’re accomplishing things for the people of Illinois and expressing our values. I really think the majority of people in Illinois agree that we should be standing up against hate. […]
[Asked if he would commit to serving out his entire four-year term]: I commit to you that I’m planning to be the governor for the next four years. We have too many things that we need to accomplish for the state. I think we all know what that list is, or at least you all have a pretty good idea what that list is. And we’re going to continue to do it. And again, principal among them is we’ve got to stop being irresponsible about our fiscal situation in the state like my predecessor was, and like was proposed by my opponent during this latest campaign, and actually focus on solving the real fiscal challenges of Illinois. I know that sometimes sounds boring to people when you talk about budgets, paying debt, you know, dealing with those fiscal challenges. It’s not as exciting as you know, some other things, but I think it’s vitally important that all of us focus on that both parties, and I think that’s something in a bipartisan way we should continue to work on.
Reporter: So there’s no group behind the scenes. Because commit to you planning to be governor will be dissected.
Pritzker: [Laughs] I don’t know what…
Reporter: So there’s nobody behind the scenes of your campaign team that…
Pritzker: No. There was some story that I think appeared, I think you tweeted it, about, I guess Reuters put it out, saying there were some number of people on the national level who were talking to staff. That’s absolutely untrue. I was not talking, I have not talked to any staff outside of my own staff. And so no, there’s no, like I said, there’s no plan to do anything other than be governor for the next four years.
Please pardon all transcription errors.
* Meanwhile…
From the presser…
Reporter: What should we think about that photo of you yesterday, shaking hands alongside Chuy Garcia? Are you going to endorse anyone?
Pritzker: Well, you apparently didn’t see the pictures of me with Kam Buckner or with Alderman Eugene Sawyer
Reporter: They were big groups.
Pritzker: Well, I had a group of people together, and you’re making more of it than it is. Look, he’s the congressman from the area where I was shaking hands at the Orange Line stop. [Cross talk] And he’s a good man. I am not taking sides in the mayoral race. I am focused on the job that I have ahead of me, in my second term.
A couple of policy questions were asked. Pritzker repeated what he’s said before about tweaks to the SAFE-T Act (the legislature is working on it) and making tax cuts permanent (he said he’d like to if the budget can be balanced).
- MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 2:53 pm:
And on to the next election.
– MrJM
- low level - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:03 pm:
==Pritzker: Well, you apparently didn’t see the pictures of me with Kam Buckner or with Alderman Eugene Sawyer==
Alderman Rod Sawyer
- Norseman - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:03 pm:
An earlier post asked what the Dems should do during the next GA. I go for enacting a prohibition on any questions/stories … that reference the next election until after those elected in the just completed election are sworn in. /s
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:08 pm:
JB has positioned himself to run if Biden doesn’t. He won’t challenge a sitting President from his own party, but he’ll be ready to go if there isn’t one.
But last night made Biden *much* more likely to run for re-election.
- H-W - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:10 pm:
Anyone who would ask a candidate who just won and election, on the day she or he wins, if she or he intends to run for a higher office, is not a very good reporter.
Ignoring all that has come before, and all that is to come, so as to speculate about some futuristic possibility, is not good reporting.
A good reporter would focus on next January, and the platform it calls forth.
Sorry to any reporters reading this. But that was just dumb.
- Silky - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:10 pm:
Can we act least stop the protecting abortion on illinois lines. Darkest blue state in union currently, abortion never was and never will be it stake in Illinois. Stop the fear mongering and work on something constructive.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:13 pm:
===Darkest blue state in union===
Worst Republican Party apparatus in America? That’s more truthful
===abortion never was and never will be it stake in Illinois===
… and yet when abortion bills have been run in Illinois, Republicans vote on the floorS against pro choice.
Republicans can win again, or are you saying Republicans will never win again, in Illinois. Ever?
- Shytown - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:16 pm:
Pritzker was out with all sorts of dems yesterday. Much ado about nothing.
- Homebody - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:19 pm:
I hate political reporters so much. Always want to ask horse race questions, or speculate about future races. Rarely seem to actually want to cover the actual policy consequences of voting.
Mainstream political reporting is a net negative for civic participation in America.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:24 pm:
==Can we act least stop the protecting abortion on illinois lines.==
No, I’m sorry, we won’t, because “it’s ok to elect Republicans who want to end abortion rights because Illinois will never elect enough Republicans to end abortion rights” is an obviously self-defeating argument.
- Silky - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:24 pm:
… and yet when abortion bills have been run in Illinois, Republicans vote on the floorS an gains tax pro choice.
Republicans can win again, or are you saying Republicans will never win again, in Illinois. Ever?
1-any republican abortion bill floated in the dem controlled capital will go over like a lead ballon so its moot.
2- will repubs win? Sure maybe one day but not in our lifetimes. Any politcal pundit would agree, illinois is blue for next quarter century and beyond. The current numbers will take decades to flip….
Amirite???
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:26 pm:
==Can we act least stop the protecting abortion on illinois lines.==
Moreover, the entire Republican campaign (such as it was) was that Bailey et al *would* repeal a law Democrats passed (The SAFE-T Act). You’re trying to have your cake and eat it, too.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:27 pm:
===any republican abortion bill floated in the dem controlled capital will go over like a lead ballon so its moot.===
Republicans will never win in Illinois again?
That’s how dorm room arguments are… pretending something is so absolute that it can’t change. Politics ain’t like that
===Sure maybe one day but… ===
Dude, whatever is in your hotpot, it’s burning
Geez, Louise.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:28 pm:
=Darkest blue state in union currently=
Such nonsense. What last night proved was that this is not a MAGA state. Never was, never will be. It’s up to the party to decide what they now do with that information.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:28 pm:
==Amirite???==
Yes, but it’s precisely *because* they keep making dumb arguments like “Yes I want to repeal abortion rights, but elect me anyway because I won’t be able to”.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:28 pm:
===Any politcal pundit would agree, illinois is blue for next quarter century and beyond. The current numbers will take decades to flip….===
Where were you when I needed Powerball numbers, lol
Let the pundits speak for themselves, thanks. You speak for you
You have cite… or a time machine…
- H-W - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:35 pm:
= What last night proved was that this is not a MAGA state. Never was, never will be. =
While that is true, it does not mean that MAGA is not doing extremely well in parts of our state. MAGA is a very strong influence in many areas, including my own region (West Central).
At the local and regional levels, all politics is not always local. In some cases, local politics have become so nationalistic and divisive, that we are killing ourselves without the input of state government.
We are dangerously divisive, rather than serving our collective and shared interests. Hence, Brown County. Hence, bigotries run rampant.
While the state is truly “blue,” some regions are bleeding red.
- Club J - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:39 pm:
Should someone do a welfare check on Tom DeVore? I thought for sure he’d be congratulating Governor Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul first thing this morning.
- Anyone Remember - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:44 pm:
Presidential? Are local reporters asking these questions in Sacramento? Lansing? Madison?
- Benjamin - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:47 pm:
==Darkest blue state in union currently==
By voter registration, that honor belongs to Massachusetts. If you measure by Biden’s margin of victory in the last presidential election, though, Vermont edges into first place.
- Benjamin - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:49 pm:
@Anyone Remember: I believe they are indeed asking these questions in Sacramento. See https://www.kron4.com/news/your-local-election-hq/newsom-cruises-through-reelection-amid-speculation-over-presidential-bid/
- Amalia - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 3:55 pm:
dear gov. be very very careful with that Chicago mayoral election. don’t get burned. as for other aspirations, try to imagine going up against Ron DeSantis, lawyer, decorated military veteran, yes a messianic egomaniac, but try to imagine that. it’s daunting.
- The Velvet Frog - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 4:08 pm:
==lawyer, decorated military veteran, yes a messianic egomaniac, but try to imagine that. it’s daunting. ==
Does the average voter know or care? People will either agree with a candidate on the issues or they won’t.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 4:34 pm:
Well said Homebody. I could not agree more. Political reporting in this country is an absolute disgrace, the public would be better informed if 98% of these “reporters” were doing something else.
- Colin O’Scopy - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 4:53 pm:
I think he meant to say Roderick Sawyer and not Eugene. That would have been some trick otherwise.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 4:58 pm:
Do I have these totals correct? cause they are surprising. vote total for Pritzker in 2018. 2,479,746 with a winning margin of 713,995. this year, so far, nearly 400k fewer votes for Pritzker and only 88,971 fewer votes cast for the Republican candidate. puzzling if these figures are correct.
- Mr. Middle Ground - Wednesday, Nov 9, 22 @ 4:59 pm:
=== Worst Republican Party apparatus in America? That’s more truthful===
We agree OW. Worse, the Party has not demonstrated they are worth a new investment.