* From NBC Universal…

GOV. JB PRITZKER (D-Ill.) joined moderator Kristen Welker for an interview on [Sunday] morning’s Meet the Press. See below for text highlights and a full transcript.

MUST CREDIT: NBC’s ‘Meet the Press with Kristen Welker’

VIDEO: Gov. JB Pritzker says redrawn Texas map ‘violates the Constitution’: Full interview

DIGITAL STORY: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker blasts Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Trump over GOP redistricting efforts […]

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

KRISTEN WELKER: Joining me now is the Democratic Governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker. Governor Pritzker, welcome back to Meet the Press.

GOV. JB PRITZKER: Great to see you, Kristen.

KRISTEN WELKER: Well, it is great to have you here after a very big week. Your state is housing some of the Democrats who fled Texas to block redistricting there. Senator John Cornyn says the FBI granted his request to help track them down, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott says they are preparing to arrest those Democrats. What would you do if law enforcement officials tried to arrest Texas lawmakers in your state, Governor?

GOV. JB PRITZKER: Well, first of all, Texas law does not apply in the state of Illinois, and there’s no federal law that would allow the FBI to arrest anybody that’s here visiting our state. So, it’s a lot of grandstanding. That’s what this is all about, and so, John Cornyn, who’s trying to run for reelection, apparently losing to an even more extreme MAGA Republican, Ken Paxton, trying to get some headlines for himself. And Greg Abbott, of course, has been a disaster for the country, as he sent people across the country on his quest to change the immigration discussion. And, of course, we had 50,000 migrants that were sent to the state of Illinois because of him. So, what I can tell you is that the Texas Democrats that are here are welcome. We’re providing them a safe haven, a place for them to visit and stay, breaking quorum, because they’re heroes that are standing up not just for their own constituents and for the people of Texas and their rights but also for the rights of people all across the country. Because what Greg Abbott is doing and what Donald Trump is attempting to do is to cheat mid-decade here. This is — they’re attempting to change the map. They know that they’re going to lose in 2026 the Congress, and so they’re trying to steal seats. And so that is what these Texas Democrats are trying to stand up against —

KRISTEN WELKER: Well —

GOV. JB PRITZKER: And then, don’t forget, the map that they put together is, it violates the Voting Rights Act, and it violates the Constitution. And so, thank God for these Texas House Democrats.

KRISTEN WELKER: Well, let’s talk about the issue at hand here. Texas Republicans being urged by President Trump, as you just said, are pushing this mid-decade redistricting plan. Their goal is to add as many as five GOP seats. In response, Democrats like yourself are thinking of drawing your own map to boost seats in blue states. Take a listen to what Texas Governor Greg Abbott told my colleague, Ryan Chandler, about that. Take a look.

[BEGIN TAPE]

RYAN CHANDLER: What’s your message to governors like Newsom, Hochul, Pritzker, who have said they will retaliate if Texas does this?

GOV. GREG ABBOTT: They have no capability. They’ve already gerrymandered their states in ways in which they don’t have hardly any Republican members of Congress. Look at the map of Illinois. It’s drawn in such a way they can’t even squeeze out another Republican. It’s a joke.

[END TAPE]

KRISTEN WELKER: What’s your response to Governor Abbott?

GOV. JB PRITZKER: Well, Governor Abbott is the joke. He’s the one who is attempting mid-decade here, at a time when frankly all of us are concerned about the future of democracy, he’s literally helping whittle it away and licking the boots of his leader, Donald Trump. Here in Illinois, we followed the law. We provided a map and passed a map that follows the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution and the laws of the state of Illinois. He’s attempting to thwart federal law and take away five seats that are in the hands of Black, Brown, minority Congress people and the people that they represent. He’s taking those votes away. He’s violating the Constitution. And all of us need to stand up and speak out and make sure that it’s understood across the country that what they’re trying to do in Texas is illegal.

KRISTEN WELKER: Well, Governor, it might be illegal. It’s not unprecedented though, or it might be rare, I should say. But Texas actually tried to redraw districts mid-decade before in 2003, and the U.S. Supreme Court actually upheld the map in that case, with the exception of one district. So the argument that Abbott is making is it’s not illegal, though they are doing it certainly in an off-year. But I do want to look at the map of Illinois. Let’s take a look at this. Despite President Trump winning 44% of the statewide vote in 2024, Republicans hold only three of Illinois’ 17 districts. These districts seem to be designed to maximize Democratic advantage. What do you say to those who argue that it’s hypocritical for you to criticize Texas for partisanship, when your state also drew maps to boost your party’s standing?

GOV. JB PRITZKER: Well, remember that what Texas is trying to do is, again, violate the Voting Rights Act. We didn’t. We held public hearings, legislative hearings. People attended them. They spoke out. There was a map that was put out. There were actually changes made to the map. And a map was passed, and it was done at the end of the census, the decennial census. So that’s how it’s done in this country. You talked about how rare it is to do what he’s doing. Yes, it is. What’s even rarer is to do it at the behest of the president of the United States, who’s clearly attempting to and says that he deserves to have five more seats. He’s wrong, and he’s attempting to change the game because, again, he passed this big ugly bill that’s hyper-unpopular in Texas, among people in Texas and across the country. And he knows he’s going to lose the Congress in 2026. That’s why he’s going to his allies and hoping that they can save him. And we’ve all got to stand up against this. This is — it’s cheating. Donald Trump is a cheater. He cheats on his wives. He cheats at golf. And now he’s trying to cheat the American people out of their votes.

KRISTEN WELKER: Well, look. Sticking on your state’s map, every major group that grades the fairness of congressional maps gives your state an “F.” Common Cause, a nonpartisan government watchdog, even says your map, and I’m going to quote, “represents a nearly perfect model for everything that can go wrong with redistricting.” And I guess the question is, you talk about preserving democracy. How do you preserve democracy if you’re using the same tactics that you’ve criticized Texas Republicans for?

GOV. JB PRITZKER: But as I say, what they’re talking about is a distraction. The reality is that the violation of people’s voting rights is what Texas is attempting to do. That’s what’s wrong with their efforts right now. And the fact that the president of the United States knows it and nevertheless, is asking them to do it. That is what’s wrong with what we’re seeing right now. Democracy is at stake, and these Texas Democrats are standing up to what the GOP is attempting to do, which is to steal seats because they know what they’ve done is wrong. They know that they’ve made an enormous mistake.

KRISTEN WELKER: Let’s turn now to foreign policy, Governor, and the crisis in Gaza. As you know, Prime Minister Netanyahu says he’s now planning a ground invasion into Gaza City. Illinois has one of the largest populations of Palestinian-Americans in the U.S. More than half of the Democratic Senators last week, a record number, actually voted to block sales of some weapons to Israel. Do you think the U.S. should stop sending weapons to Israel, Governor?

GOV. JB PRITZKER: Look, I think that the resolution that was put up in the United States Senate was an effort to send a message. And it’s the right kind of a message, which is that Israel needs to make sure that the food assistance that ought to go to innocent Palestinians should arrive there. And they should do everything in their power to prevent the starvation that I think we’ve all seen. So that’s the message that’s attempting to be sent by the United States Senate. I believe it’s very important for us not only to protect those who are innocent – on both sides of that border, making sure that Israelis and Palestinians are protected – but also to make sure that we’re seeing the return of the hostages, that Israel is allowed to stand up to terrorists like Hamas but not allowed to target or have ill effect as best they can on the innocent people of Gaza. So that I think is what’s going on right now. We’ve all got to stand up and make sure that the innocent are protected.

KRISTEN WELKER: All right. Well, I want to talk about the future now of your party. You’re one of the leaders of the Democratic Party, you are also a billionaire. Some in your party are openly questioning whether billionaires such as yourself should exist at all, Governor. Just listen to what Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s Democratic nominee for mayor told me recently. Take a look.

[BEGIN TAPE]

KRISTEN WELKER: Do you think that billionaires have a right to exist?

ZOHRAN MAMDANI: I don’t think that we should have billionaires, because frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality.

[END TAPE]

KRISTEN WELKER: Governor, is that the kind of message that Democrats should be embracing?

GOV. JB PRITZKER: Look – how much money you have doesn’t determine what your values are. And I’m a Democrat because I believe that everyone deserves healthcare. I’m a Democrat because I believe we’ve got to fund education and have a free public education available to every kid in this country. I’m a Democrat because I believe that we’ve got to stand up for our democracy and against the MAGA Republicans who are literally trying to take away people’s rights all across this country. So it does not matter what your income level is. What matters is what your values are, and that’s what makes me a Democrat.

KRISTEN WELKER: Well, there is a big debate right now inside the Democratic Party about how exactly to counter Trump and counter Republicans. Here’s what you said at a fundraiser in New Hampshire a little bit earlier on this year. Take a listen.

[BEGIN TAPE]

GOV. JB PRITZKER: These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace. They have to understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have. We must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box.

[END TAPE]

KRISTEN WELKER: Now, you’re running for a third term as governor in your state. How can you guarantee voters that you will govern everyone and not just Democrats?

GOV. JB PRITZKER: Because I’ve demonstrated that during my time in office already. You know, people forgot in years past – Republicans – we had more Republicans holding the governor’s office over the last 40 years than we had Democrats. And they forgot about southern Illinois and central Illinois and about areas of the state where there are more Republicans than Democrats. I did not. I have made sure that we’ve invested in education and infrastructure, that we’ve created jobs in those areas of the state. We need more people that are willing to reach across the aisle and do the right thing when they’re in office. Look, we have tough elections, Democrats and Republicans fighting one another. But after the election is over, when you’re actually governing, you’ve got to govern for all the people of your state. And that’s what I’ve done for the last six-and-a-half years and look forward to doing for another four.

KRISTEN WELKER: All right, Governor, very quickly before I let you go. Do you rule out a run for president in 2028?

GOV. JB PRITZKER: I’m focused on running for reelection as Governor of the State of Illinois, and everything that I do really is focused on lifting up the people of my state.

KRISTEN WELKER: But you don’t rule it out, Governor? Yes or no?

GOV. JB PRITZKER: I can’t rule anything out, but what I can rule in is that no matter what decisions I make, and I mean in particular about what I do here in the State of Illinois is about the people of Illinois. Indeed, any future decisions of mine will always be guided by that.

KRISTEN WELKER: All right. Governor JB Pritzker, thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

Discuss.

* More…

* Fox Chicago | Gov. JB Pritzker doesn’t rule out presidential run in 2028: ‘Can’t rule anything out’: Since at least late June, when he officially announced his reelection bid, Pritzker has avoided saying whether he’d serve a full four-year term if he won in 2026. The timing could be awkward since the primary season for 2028 is expected to begin in earnest right after the 2026 midterms.

* Sun-Times | Gov. JB Pritzker, on ‘Meet the Press,’ says he won’t rule out 2028 presidential run: “I’m a Democrat because I believe that we’ve got to stand up for our democracy and against the MAGA Republicans who are literally trying to take away people’s rights all across this country. So it does not matter what your income level is. What matters is what your values are, and that’s what makes me a Democrat.” The Democratic governor took a different approach on Tuesday’s “Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” instead making light of his wealth and trading barbs about Illinois’ congressional maps. Pritzker told Colbert he was “OK” with being a billionaire when Colbert offered that being a billionaire is “not a very popular thing to be right now.”

* Tribune | Gov. JB Pritzker won’t rule out presidential bid in 2028, attacks Republican remap effort in Texas: Illinois Republicans have routinely seized on Pritzker’s presidential aspirations, accusing him of putting his political ambitions ahead of the more parochial concerns of the state’s voters. But more than a month after Pritzker announced his bid for a rare third term, the state GOP has so far failed to field a big-name challenger to the billionaire Democratic governor or any of the other statewide Democratic officeholders ahead of their marquee event of Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair this week.

* Crain’s | Pritzker won’t rule out a presidential run: First Pritzker has to get re-elected to a job that’s only going to get tougher. Even before the national economy started to show signs of strain, it was clear that the strong revenue growth Illinois has enjoyed in recent years was approaching a plateau. Not only has pandemic-era federal relief come to an end, but cuts to Medicaid and other programs are looming. Meanwhile, the state will have to come up with at least some funding for Chicago-area transit systems that were on shaky ground even before the pandemic upended commuting patterns and ridership. And Pritzker will have to come up with a long-term fix for the state pension system for workers hired after 2011, which is at risk of running afoul of federal retirement regulations.

* Rolling Stone | Pritzker: Trump Is ‘Cheating Americans Out of Their Votes’ With Gerrymandering Plans: Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under former President Barack Obama and now leads the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said even if Democrats do redistrict their states, it would be “responsive” and “temporary.” “When Barack Obama was president, when Joe Biden was president, did either of those presidents call a governor of a state or a state legislature and tell them to gerrymander to find five seats for them? No,” Holder said. “So we’re doing something now that is responsive to what is going on with this White House.”