Democrat Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is openly keeping the door ajar for a 2028 presidential bid while dramatically ramping up his national media presence in 2025.
According to The Post Millennial, public records obtained by Capitol News Illinois show Pritzker conducted roughly 100 one-on-one media interviews in 2025, the highest volume of his tenure. Strikingly, 81 percent of those were with national outlets, influencers, and television hosts, underscoring a clear effort to build a profile beyond Illinois even as he continues to lob attacks at President Donald Trump.
Some observers on the right are now openly questioning what they see as Pritzkers quiet audition for the Democratic nomination. DataRepublican, an X user whose real name is Jannica Pounds and who is known for lengthy investigative threads, warned in a viral post, "Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is positioning himself as the Democratic hero of 2028. But before the national press crowns him, let's look at what he's built."
Pounds follow-up thread resurfaced a series of controversies that have trailed Pritzker throughout his political career. "In 2008, FBI wiretaps caught JB Pritzker on the phone multiple times trading political appointment strategies," Pounds said, highlighting the kind of backroom deal-making conservatives argue is endemic to Democrat machine politics.
Pressed recently on whether he intends to run for president, Pritzker carefully avoided a firm denial. "I cant 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," he said, language that sounds more like a pre-campaign soft launch than a flat refusal.
Pounds thread also spotlighted scandals under Pritzkers watch, including Illinois government funding for a foster care facility where staff sexually assaulted a resident in August 2023, while the states child welfare agency, DCFS, failed to act for months. For conservatives who prioritize law and order and accountability in government, such failures raise serious doubts about elevating Pritzker to national office.
The same facility "had hired staffers with felony convictions in their backgrounds," Pounds said, adding to concerns about basic vetting and public safety. DataRepublican further argued that Pritzkers likely 2028 narrative will be: "resistance hero, self-made man, policy governor, fighter," a branding exercise that may play well with progressive elites but will face intense scrutiny from voters who have watched Illinois struggle under Democrat leadership.
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