In Chicago, It’s the JB Pritzker Show

In 1968, it was Mayor Richard J. Daley’s convention. In 1996, it was Mayor Richard M. Daley’s. In 2024, it’s Gov. JB Pritzker’s. 

“Fellow Democrats, welcome to Chicago!” Pritzker said, taking to the Democratic National Convention stage during the coveted prime-time hours Tuesday, his smile wide, his arms outstretched to a roar of cheers. “We’re a great American city in a proud blue state. Our patriotism was formed in frost and in fire and in the steel we forged to survive both.”

All along, this has been Pritzker’s show. And that’s a testament to the power shift the city and Illinois have undergone since he was elected in 2018. With the help of billions of dollars to build his own faithful army, Pritzker managed to wrestle away the power long wielded by city mayors.

That’s in part due to Pritzker’s profile, which has risen nationally since he took office, and in part to his attack-dog style repeatedly going after former President Donald Trump. That was no different Tuesday.

“Donald Trump thinks we should trust him on the economy because he claims to be very rich,” Pritzker said. “Take it from an actual billionaire — Trump is rich in only one thing: stupidity.”

Pritzker assembled his own campaign infrastructure without having to lean on a Chicago machine or the foot soldiers long provided by another powerhouse in the state — the now-indicted former state House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Pritzker was pivotal in bringing the convention to the city, making repeated personal pitches to both President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden. He worked with the business community and donors to make sure fundraising stayed afloat, and he vowed that he wouldn’t allow it to go into debt. He navigated frosty relationships with Mayor Brandon Johnson and former Mayor Lori Lightfoot along the way.

And people close to Pritzker say he had long reassured stakeholders that he would personally make sure the week went off without a hitch amid fears that the intense political moment around the Israel-Hamas war carried overtones of the volatile 1968 protests.

Before Kamala Harris’ ascent as the Democratic nominee, Pritzker was often considered on the short list of prospective presidential candidates. Just weeks ago, Harris’ team vetted Pritzker, in addition to others, as a possible vice presidential pick.

At a fundraiser last year, Biden personally thanked Pritzker, a longtime Democratic donor, for his role in the 2020 election.

“He did more in 2020 to help me get elected president of the United States than just about anybody in the country, and that’s a fact,” Biden said. “He’s doing one hell of a job as your governor. I appreciate his support.”

By NBC News