Chicago – June 28, 2025
Democratic incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker officially announced his run for a third term as the state’s chief executive Thursday with a campaign video vowing “to protect our progress and continue solving the problems we face” — namely those imposed on Illinois by President Donald Trump, according to the billionaire Democrat.
Pritzker was slated to crisscross the state for a series of reelection campaign kickoff events, including a mid-morning appearance at the Grand Crossing Park Field House on the South Side.
“There is power in saying out loud: The story of Illinois is not set in stone,” Pritzker told a packed gym of supporters inside the fieldhouse, where he announced his first run for office in 2017. “We can rewrite it when we choose. And we should justifiably feel proud of who we are, where we come from and where we are trying to go.
“I ran for governor in 2018 to change our story. I ran for governor in 2022 to keep telling our story. And I am running for governor in 2026 to protect our story,” Pritzker said.
Before that, the governor’s campaign released a one-minute, 45-second campaign video making Pritzker’s opening case for reelection, slamming the “chaos and craziness” from Washington and celebrating progressive accomplishments from his first two terms.
“I’m running for reelection to protect our progress and continue solving the problems we face. I love this state, and it’s the honor of my life to serve as your governor to help lead through the most challenging of times and celebrate the most joyful ones together,” Pritzker says.
