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Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday that former Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell will be his running mate for the 2026 campaign. […]
Mitchell, 38, will replace Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on the ticket as she seeks the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
Mitchell comes in with hefty experience in state government and public policy. A resident of Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, Mitchell served three terms in the Illinois House beginning in 2013 and was executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois in 2018 before joining the governor’s office in 2019.
Mitchell left Pritzker’s administration in early 2023 to become vice president for civic engagement at the University of Chicago where he oversees government relations. Mitchell was appointed by Pritzker last year to an unpaid seat on the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority board, which oversees Navy Pier and McCormick Place. He is also a first lieutenant in the Illinois Air National Guard.
* Tribune…
“I’m really most excited to keep moving Illinois forward. You’re seeing in Washington quite a bit of chaos,” Mitchell said in an interview Tuesday morning. “The progress we’ve made in Illinois is more important than ever, and is more important to protect now than ever.”
Politically, Mitchell brings to the Pritzker ticket a compelling personal story of being raised by a single mom, with his grandfather, a military veteran, serving to instill strong values of public service, friends and associates said.
At age 38, Mitchell represents a nod to a younger generation for the future of the state’s Democratic Party by the 60-year-old governor. And by selecting Mitchell, a Black man, Pritzker will maintain racial diversity at the top of the ticket even as Stratton, a Black woman, steps aside.
Aviva Bowen, a consultant at Chicago-based The Strategy Group, where Mitchell was a senior vice president from 2014 to 2017, said Mitchell “brings both a great personal story, but also some pretty significant executive experience, which makes the choice a good one, both politically and practically — and you don’t always get both of those things.”
* Sun-Times…
Besides being first in the line of succession to the governor’s office, lieutenant governors don’t have specific responsibilities assigned by the Illinois constitution beyond those “that may be delegated to him by the Governor.”But the role potentially takes on an added importance this time around if Pritzker ascends to the White House. The governor has sidestepped questions about committing to serving another full four-year term if he’s reelected.
“I think he’d make a terrific president, but I also think he’s running for reelection as governor,” Mitchell said. “I do think it is very exciting for the people of Illinois that we’re talking about an Illinois governor running for president, and not running from prison.”
* More…
* Pantagraph | Pritzker names former state lawmaker as running mate: In this sense, it is the most low-profile statewide office in Illinois. One former lieutenant governor even resigned the office out of sheer boredom and lack of responsibility. However, some have been called upon to ascend to the top job, most recently Pat Quinn upon the impeachment and removal of Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2009. […] In Mitchell, Pritzker tapped someone with both political and policy chops. As a state legislator, Mitchell fended off multiple Chicago Teachers Union-packed primary challenges. In 2018, he was named interim executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
* ABC Chicago | Gov. JB Pritzker to hit campaign trail with new running mate Christian Mitchell Wednesday: Christian Mitchell, Governor JB Pritzker’s pick to be the state’s next lieutenant governor, will be hitting the campaign trail Wednesday morning alongside the governor. The two will be stopping by a South Side staple, Peach’s Restaurant in Bronzeville Wednesday morning.
* Daily Herald | Pritzker picks former deputy, state Rep. Christian Mitchell as running mate: If Pritzker plunges into an all-absorbing presidential campaign, Mitchell would be a loyal, competent second-in-command, political scientist Kent Redfield said. “If you wanted somebody that knows Pritzker, knows the legislative and executive (branches), and could manage the governor’s office if the governor was running for president, it certainly would make sense,” added Redfield, University of Illinois at Springfield professor emeritus.
* Capitol City Now | A conversation with a candidate for Lieutenant Governor: He’s gone from the public sector, to the private sector, back to the public sector. Christian Mitchell is a candidate for Lieutenant Governor, running alongside incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker. WTAX’s Dave Dahl talked to Mitchell for the WTAX Morning Newswatch.
* WGN | Gov. Pritzker announces Christian Mitchell as pick for Lieutenant Governor: To run for lieutenant governor, Mitchell said he’ll leave the University of Chicago where he oversees government relations. From 2013 to 2019, Mitchell represented parts of the South Side in the state legislature distinguishing himself as a policy wonk. He later served as deputy governor, playing a key role in the Pritzker administration’s response to COVID-19. “He tasked me and others in the office to be in charge of effectively our medical supply chain and to make sure that we had all of the PPE, the gloves, the masks, the ventilators we needed to make sure that our frontline health care heroes could keep doing their work,” Mitchell explained.
posted by Isabel Miller
Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 8:56 am
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Seems like an excellent pick: he’s from the working class, he’s a veteran, he has experience winning elections and serving in the legislature, experience running large orgs, and if reports are to be believed, he’s a real workhorse. And he’s young!
Comment by CA-HOON Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 9:23 am
JB on what he was looking for in an LG less 24 hours before he announced he had chosen Christian Mitchell:
“Has this person demonstrated that they care deeply, as much about people who live in areas that they don’t live in, or who have different views than they do, in parts of the state that they’re not from?”
Mitchell has many attributes. Some of them were on display in the interviews he did yesterday. But…well, let’s just say that his name wasn’t the first to pop into my mind when the governor laid out that job description on Monday.
Comment by O.H. Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 9:33 am
As someone who will be 60 in 2028 and has yet to see a President younger than me, anytime I see a young person on the ballot it makes me happy.
Comment by Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 9:42 am
A running mate rarely adds to a ticket, but the least you can do is pick someone that doesn’t detract from said ticket. Mitchell certainly doesn’t seem like he’d warrant any serious or widespread hatred for a pretty meaningless position, so the pick seems safe and doesn’t fall into the latter category at least.
Granted, political wonks will be looking closely given that Pritzker is clearly running for president, and thereby there’s a chance that if Pritzker/Mitchell wins in ‘26 then that’d mean we could have a Governor Mitchell in 2029 with an even bigger if on if Pritzker becomes president, but I severely doubt that the vast majority of the electorate will remotely be thinking about that come Nov ‘26.
Comment by TJ Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 9:53 am
= Mitchell certainly doesn’t seem like he’d warrant any serious or widespread hatred =
Oh, I’m sure ILGOP will find something nasty to say.
Comment by JoanP Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 9:58 am
== Oh, I’m sure ILGOP will find something nasty to say. ==
Of course, but that’s par for the course for any D in this day and age.
Comment by TJ Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 10:03 am
==But…well, let’s just say that his name wasn’t the first to pop into my mind when the governor laid out that job description on Monday.==
Nor mine. Andy Manar was the name that immediately came to my mind.
Comment by Osborne Smith III Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 10:04 am
==Andy Manar was the name that immediately came to my mind.==
No offense to Manar, but another older white guy was not on my list based on what is needed in policy setting and governance. There is a long list of folks who have a solid resume, but representationally, we have plenty of electeds in the 50+ range and an over-representation of white dudes. Personal background matters - a wider range of experiences of those in leadership does make a difference when deciding policies and getting people to accept that their point of view was considered and respected.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 10:24 am
==but another older white guy was not on my list==
Exactly how old do you think Andy Manar is?
Comment by Osborne Smith III Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 10:41 am
===Exactly how old do you think Andy Manar is?===
He’ll be 50 in November.
Comment by Pot calling kettle Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 11:11 am
“I do think it is very exciting for the people of Illinois that we’re talking about an Illinois governor running for president, and not running from prison.”
I’m happy that this message is being put out there. We should be proud that our state’s chief executive is being discussed positively on a national stage after decades of embarrassment. Illinois deserves to be part of the national conversation.
Comment by NIU Grad Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 11:39 am
==and an over-representation of white dudes==
So basically only minorities or women need apply. smh.
Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 12:05 pm
No reason to appeal to 60% of the Illinois population by nominating a Caucasian
That is so yesterday
Comment by Paul Powell Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 12:12 pm
===No reason to appeal to 60% of the Illinois population by nominating a Caucasian ===
And there it is.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 12:34 pm
==No reason to appeal to 60% of the Illinois population by nominating a Caucasian==
Dude. I’m all for not limiting our choices based on race or gender but jeez, what are you the Grand Wizard or something?
Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 12:50 pm
- No reason to appeal to 60% of the Illinois population by nominating a Caucasian -
Caucasian here, and I find it appealing the two dudes at the top of the ticket aren’t both caucasians. But then again, I’m not racist like you clearly are.
Comment by Excitable Boy Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 1:14 pm
===I’m not racist like you clearly are. ===
Dude just tried to claim in a comment that “hiring” a lt. governor on the basis of skin color is illegal.
That comment was about the dumbest thing I’ve seen posted here in a long while. You may not see him no more.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 1:30 pm
Dude just tried again.
Lt. Governor candidates are not hired. For crying out loud.
Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 1:42 pm
I vaguely remember when I thought 50 was old.
Comment by Dotnonymous x Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 1:46 pm
“I vaguely remember when I thought … was old.”
I have a distinct memory of being 6 years old in kindergarten, thinking I was old. That was 62 years ago. No /s.
Comment by Huh? Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 1:56 pm
=No reason to appeal to 60% of the Illinois population by nominating a Caucasian=
So your prior rants on the Governor doing nothing to appeal to the 45% who don’t agree with him are rooted in this? Thanks for telling all of us exactly who you are.
Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 2:08 pm
Love the focus on the racial balance of the ticket cause it takes us away from what I thought was an issue. That many people did not like the way Mitchell ran things when he was Dep Gov. I have zero experience with him. I thought it was on this site where people complained. wondering what the actual deal is.
Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Jul 2, 25 @ 2:23 pm