Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker used a Dallas appearance with Texas Democrats to escalate his national political profile and sharpen his attacks on Republicans, even as critics in his home state say he is neglecting Illinois.
According to Just The News, Pritzker traveled to Texas on Wednesday, only a day after launching his new political action committee, Ready for the Fight, which is expected to pour at least $20 million into Democratic campaigns this November. Speaking just hours before Republicans opened a two-night convention in Dallas, he derided the GOP as clinically deranged and out of touch and personally attacked President Donald Trump, declaring, And of course, we have Donald Trump himself, a president suffering from dementia.
Pritzker framed his remarks around a 2025 episode in which 40 Texas Democratic lawmakers fled their state to block a quorum on new congressional maps. As it turns out, their resistance to the corrupt, mid-decade redistricting in Texas was the canary in the coal mine, Pritzker said, casting the walkout as a model of partisan resistance rather than a dereliction of legislative duty. He went on to claim that Texas Democrats set an example for the rest of America, adding, They are why Illinois got Indiana to back down from changing their map and why the people of Missouri took their MAGA secretary of state to court.
The governors stepped-up national activity comes as he continues to deploy his personal fortune to shape politics far beyond Illinois. Ready for the Fight debuted Tuesday, while last month Pritzker injected another $65 million into his own gubernatorial campaign fund, bringing his total political spending since 2018 to more than $400 million on his races and those of other Democrats. For conservatives, the pattern underscores a broader concern: a billionaire governor using vast wealth to advance a progressive agenda nationwide while his own state struggles with high taxes, outmigration, and chronic fiscal instability.
Illinois Republicans argue that Pritzkers rhetoric about President Trump and the GOP is a convenient distraction from his record at home. Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie said Pritzker cant keep blaming Trump for Illinois problems, stating, His new PAC and latest trip to Texas make his priorities clear: national ambition over Illinois families. Instead of trying to buy his way onto the national stage, he should focus on the state he was elected to lead.
GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey likewise accused Pritzker of being out of touch with ordinary taxpayers who shoulder the burden of his policies. I think in J.B. Pritzker's world, I honestly believe this, that he just thinks things just function and everything works out great because the man, he's a trust fund billionaire. He's never had to create. Hes never had to build, Bailey said, reflecting a growing conservative view that Pritzkers political crusades in places like Texas come at the expense of the Illinois families he was elected to serve.
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