Today, JB For Governor released a new ad titled, “Right Thing” highlighting Governor JB Pritzker’s fight to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, giving 1.4 million Illinoisans a well-deserved raise.
In the 30-second ad, Illinoisans call out critics who opposed increasing the minimum wage, and Gov. Pritzker underscores that he always believed that giving workers a raise was the right thing to do. Today, more people are working in Illinois than ever before.
While Trump and MAGA Republicans wreak havoc on working families, Gov. Pritzker is working every day to raise wages and lower costs so that Illinoisans can afford to live their lives.
The ad will air on broadcast and digital platforms in the Chicago media market.
Standard issue ad - now let’s see if he can do the “Right Thing” and avoid giving away taxpayer money to the Bears & billionaires - if so I’ll give him at A+ too (if not just more political season tripe)
10 out of 10. No policy or issue blah, blah. All about the feels, an area in which Dems often struggle, and positive.
Localized for each market is smart, the icing on top.
Illustrates why he is a formidable presidential contender. There is a genuine warmth and sincerity - and there is a real hunger for that as an antidote to the cruelty and anger of Trump and his minions.
These are predictable preaching-to-the-choir ads that will not move any undecided voters to JB’s camp, but with his lead, he has the luxury of not caring- basically victory-lap ads.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:39 am:
A minus. A positive approach. Glad he’s stopped the dinosaur thing.
When I’m at the gym they have several TVs and Pritzker has tons of adds on the Chicago channels. The other day he had the Bailey-Trump ad going on 3 of the TVs at once.
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:45 am:
Wow. A++
Would like to see more ads like these. Positive, feel good, who is this person and what are they doing…
Personally, I like the first one (minimum wage) best because it highlights an actual issue and answers the opposition clearly. The others are light on policy but show interaction with people around that area. (It’s fun to recognize people and places.)
Pritzker is going to win by 29 why does he spend all of this money- it shows a total lack of discipline - better he be more charitable - based on his annual tax filings- his donations are minimal for a person with several billion
===A+ if only for provoking Sue’s perfectly risible response.===
I’ll actually second that. I don’t usually give out an A+, but it is pretty fun to see a candidate’s campaign ad be so effective that someone who supports the opposition is frustrated by the fact that it exists.
Sort of makes me wonder why anyone would vote for this other guy, but it’s probably because the dog whistles and bigot sirens don’t appeal to me.
===Your rating? ===
I’m going with A+, but I think there is a missed opportunity here. Southern Illinois may not have a lot of support for the Governor and there may not be a lot of people living there, but the Governor has done a lot to support Southern Illinois and while there’s some cost benefit analysis done for any campaign ad someone runs, I think it is maybe worthwhile to remind some of the people living in those parts of the state that the Governor has done a lot to make their lives better.
Rating the minimum wage hike ad an A, specifically in context of current affairs. It’s not the minimum wage hikes that create typically weak Republican national economies, with today’s BLS jobs numbers. Those who professionally cry over costs have a lot more to weep about with tariffs and war than they do with workers getting a bump in pay.
I am with @MrJM and @Candy Dogood- It tickles me to know end to see our good folks like so get triggered by a very mild/standard set of political ads. JB has the means to keep the message going and he clearly is not taking this election for granted. Signs of a smart and capable governor.
B+. Ad is good but the content is weak to me. $15 minimum wage was the argument in 2012. I know the federal minimum wage is laughable but we can do better in IL.
JB has self funded his 2026 campaign with $90.5 million bringing his grand total to $439 million.
Typical weak Republican national economies?
It’s a bifurcated economy for sure with prices still too high mostly because of oil prices, but the US is the biggest economy in the world by far at over 32 trillion- beating China at just under 21 trillion
It’s also the fastest growing G7 economy having grown 15.6% compared to pre- pandemic levels. The US stock market is currently trading very close to all time records.
Good governor but as a quad citizen, thank you for what exactly? The commercial doesn’t even hint at what that may be, education gets a mention but isn’t reinforced in any way.
For the common man is just a slogan that is easy to be skeptical of for working Americans today. I think he has a record to run on, run on it.
I agree with the comment above that the campaign is playing error free ball but isn’t this a perfect opportunity to take some chances?
My point was to push back on the criticism of Sue’s comment about him spending way more than necessary, including running ads supporting a Republican in the primary last election which is also unprecedented.
You state he clearly did not need to spend that much which means you also agree with Sue.
Don’t ask JB to be consistent he pretends to want money out of politics and demands Citizens United be overturned.
Sue is right he should have donated a bigger portion of that money to charity instead of making media buyers wealthier.
- hmmm - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 10:28 am:
A+, I feel like he really cares!
- Stephenson County - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:16 am:
A+, love the idea of localized ads.
- Recovering Bureaucrat - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:19 am:
Standard issue ad - now let’s see if he can do the “Right Thing” and avoid giving away taxpayer money to the Bears & billionaires - if so I’ll give him at A+ too (if not just more political season tripe)
- Rudy’s teeth - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:23 am:
Rate A+
Great spots. And JB didn’t include any dinosaurs in the spots. Kinda miss that addition.
- Moe Berg - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:24 am:
10 out of 10. No policy or issue blah, blah. All about the feels, an area in which Dems often struggle, and positive.
Localized for each market is smart, the icing on top.
Illustrates why he is a formidable presidential contender. There is a genuine warmth and sincerity - and there is a real hunger for that as an antidote to the cruelty and anger of Trump and his minions.
- Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:27 am:
A.
Upbeat and positive.
No halfwits firing semi-auto rifles at piles of paper or grainy black and white photos of the boogeyman du jour.
- Think Again - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:36 am:
B
These are predictable preaching-to-the-choir ads that will not move any undecided voters to JB’s camp, but with his lead, he has the luxury of not caring- basically victory-lap ads.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:39 am:
A minus. A positive approach. Glad he’s stopped the dinosaur thing.
When I’m at the gym they have several TVs and Pritzker has tons of adds on the Chicago channels. The other day he had the Bailey-Trump ad going on 3 of the TVs at once.
- Johnny B - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:40 am:
JB is a formidable candidate for President?
He is beating Steve A Smith
https://www.racetothewh.com/president/2028/dem
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:45 am:
Wow. A++
Would like to see more ads like these. Positive, feel good, who is this person and what are they doing…
Personally, I like the first one (minimum wage) best because it highlights an actual issue and answers the opposition clearly. The others are light on policy but show interaction with people around that area. (It’s fun to recognize people and places.)
- Sue - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:52 am:
Pritzker is going to win by 29 why does he spend all of this money- it shows a total lack of discipline - better he be more charitable - based on his annual tax filings- his donations are minimal for a person with several billion
- Paul Peterson - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 11:54 am:
JB has a lot of money to spin how Illinois having the 10th highest unemployment rate under his administration is somehow a positive.
https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm
- Rich Miller - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 12:04 pm:
===Pritzker is going to win by 29===
I sure hope you don’t have a Kalshi account.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 12:19 pm:
===He is beating===
lol
Look, I’m not so sure JB is gonna do so well beyond state borders, but using polls to predict elections two years away is just dumb.
I haven’t checked, but I’m curious if you were one of those “Raja has money, so Raja’s gonna win” people back in early 2025.
- @misterjayem - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 12:21 pm:
A+ if only for provoking Sue’s perfectly risible response.
– MrJM
- Candy Dogood - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 12:32 pm:
===A+ if only for provoking Sue’s perfectly risible response.===
I’ll actually second that. I don’t usually give out an A+, but it is pretty fun to see a candidate’s campaign ad be so effective that someone who supports the opposition is frustrated by the fact that it exists.
Sort of makes me wonder why anyone would vote for this other guy, but it’s probably because the dog whistles and bigot sirens don’t appeal to me.
===Your rating? ===
I’m going with A+, but I think there is a missed opportunity here. Southern Illinois may not have a lot of support for the Governor and there may not be a lot of people living there, but the Governor has done a lot to support Southern Illinois and while there’s some cost benefit analysis done for any campaign ad someone runs, I think it is maybe worthwhile to remind some of the people living in those parts of the state that the Governor has done a lot to make their lives better.
- Paul Peterson - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 12:38 pm:
In the history of US politics, only Michael Bloomberg has spent more of his personal fortune to be elected to public office.
Bloomberg spent the vast majority of his total running for President which obviously involves more media markets
Glad you think it’s “risible” to point out spending over 400 million dollars running for state office is unprecedented.
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 1:00 pm:
Rating the minimum wage hike ad an A, specifically in context of current affairs. It’s not the minimum wage hikes that create typically weak Republican national economies, with today’s BLS jobs numbers. Those who professionally cry over costs have a lot more to weep about with tariffs and war than they do with workers getting a bump in pay.
- JS Mill - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 1:02 pm:
I am with @MrJM and @Candy Dogood- It tickles me to know end to see our good folks like so get triggered by a very mild/standard set of political ads. JB has the means to keep the message going and he clearly is not taking this election for granted. Signs of a smart and capable governor.
A+ for me.
- Bob - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 1:21 pm:
They’re pretty mid. But he’s just playing error free ball at this point.
- Think Again - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 1:21 pm:
=In the history of US politics, only Michael Bloomberg has spent more of his personal fortune to be elected to public office=
Perhaps - but inflation-adjusted, Perot, Forbes, and Corzine, all these folks spent a lot
- Excitable Boy - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 1:32 pm:
- Glad you think it’s “risible” to point out spending over 400 million dollars -
I kind of doubt these ads cost $400 million. But your PDS is noted.
- Hmmmm - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 1:40 pm:
B+. Ad is good but the content is weak to me. $15 minimum wage was the argument in 2012. I know the federal minimum wage is laughable but we can do better in IL.
- Paul Peterson - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 1:47 pm:
JB has self funded his 2026 campaign with $90.5 million bringing his grand total to $439 million.
Typical weak Republican national economies?
It’s a bifurcated economy for sure with prices still too high mostly because of oil prices, but the US is the biggest economy in the world by far at over 32 trillion- beating China at just under 21 trillion
It’s also the fastest growing G7 economy having grown 15.6% compared to pre- pandemic levels. The US stock market is currently trading very close to all time records.
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn02784/
In 2008 the EU had a slightly larger economy than the US
Now the GDP in US per capita is 85K vs 45K in the EU
If the Democrats record on the economy was in anyway positive they wouldn’t have been completely wiped out of power in 2024
- Occasionally Moderated - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 2:21 pm:
C+
The Quad Cities isn’t Rockford.
Good governor but as a quad citizen, thank you for what exactly? The commercial doesn’t even hint at what that may be, education gets a mention but isn’t reinforced in any way.
For the common man is just a slogan that is easy to be skeptical of for working Americans today. I think he has a record to run on, run on it.
I agree with the comment above that the campaign is playing error free ball but isn’t this a perfect opportunity to take some chances?
- Rich Miller - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 2:30 pm:
===Glad you think it’s “risible” to point out spending over 400 million dollars running for state office is unprecedented. ===
But what’s your actual point?
He’s defeated two incredibly weak candidates and spent a whole of of money that doing it when he clearly did not need to do so.
Then again, he’s made that $400 million back plus a lot more, so it hasn’t really cost him anything.
Whining merely to whine.
- Paul Peterson - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 2:48 pm:
My point was to push back on the criticism of Sue’s comment about him spending way more than necessary, including running ads supporting a Republican in the primary last election which is also unprecedented.
You state he clearly did not need to spend that much which means you also agree with Sue.
Don’t ask JB to be consistent he pretends to want money out of politics and demands Citizens United be overturned.
Sue is right he should have donated a bigger portion of that money to charity instead of making media buyers wealthier.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 2:56 pm:
===he should have donated a bigger portion of that money to charity===
OK, I can agree with that, but it is, after all, his money. I thought you folks were all about letting people spend their money how they see fit.
- Paul Peterson - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 3:10 pm:
Yes he is free to spend his money on ads or waste it for that matter gambling millions in Vegas and anyone is free to criticize him.
That is part of the reason why America is such a great country.
Europe does not enjoy anywhere near the level of free speech we have in this country
- Pundent - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 3:12 pm:
=The US stock market is currently trading very close to all time records.=
I’m guessing that the folks who earn minimum wage or close to it take no comfort in your rationalization.
- Allen Drison - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 4:17 pm:
These are incredibly cringe worthy. There is no sincerity.
- Bob - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 4:19 pm:
==The Quad Cities isn’t Rockford.==
And two different TV markets
- Excitable Boy - Friday, Oct 2, 26 @ 4:23 pm:
- he should have donated a bigger portion of that money to charity -
I don’t remember you saying the same about Rauner, maybe I missed it.