Trump critic JB Pritzker expected to launch Democratic re-election bid for third term as Illinois governor

Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected to denote connected Thursday that he'll question a 3rd four-year word steering the bluish Midwestern state, a root with cognition confirmed to Fox News.

The billionaire governor, a subordinate of the Pritzker household that owns the Hyatt edifice concatenation and who has started respective of his ain task superior and concern startups, is expected to marque his announcement successful Chicago earlier traveling to Springfield, Illinois' superior city.

Illinois, which is the nation's sixth astir populous state, does not person word limits for statewide officials. However, determination has not been a three-term politician successful the authorities successful implicit 3 decades, since GOP Gov. Jim Thompson won 4 presumption arsenic politician successful the 1970s and 1980s.

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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is interviewed by Fox News Digital astatine the Democratic National Convention connected Aug. 22, 2024 successful Chicago. (Paul Steinhauser)

Pritzker has go 1 of his Democratic Party's astir vocal critics of the sweeping and arguable moves by President Donald Trump during the opening months of his 2nd circuit successful the White House.

"We’ve got to beryllium acceptable for the fight," Pritzker said successful an interrogation with Fox News Digital successful April.

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The 60-year-old politician argued that the federation is "in a law crisis" and that "we person excessively galore radical who are ill-affected by the policies of the Trump administration."

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is expected connected Thursday to denote a 2026 re-election bid for a 3rd word arsenic governor. (Governor JB Pritzker via X)

Pritzker, who has taken steps to "Trump-proof" his solidly bluish state, told reporters earlier this year, "You travel for my people, you travel done me."

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Pritzker is seen arsenic a imaginable contender for the Democrats' 2028 statesmanlike nomination – and the motorboat of his 2026 gubernatorial re-election run is not expected to derail him from perchance moving for the White House.

He was a high-profile run surrogate successful the 2024 rhythm connected behalf of erstwhile President Joe Biden, arsenic good arsenic erstwhile Vice President Kamala Harris aft she replaced Biden arsenic the Democratic Party's nominee past summer. 

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Those efforts brought Pritzker to Nevada, a wide predetermination battleground authorities and an early-voting Democratic statesmanlike superior state, and New Hampshire, which for a period has held the first-in-the-nation statesmanlike primary.

Additionally, Pritzker's instrumentality to New Hampshire this spring, to header a large authorities Democratic Party fundraising dinner, sparked much speculation astir a imaginable 2028 statesmanlike run.