https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/americas-second-richest-elected-official-is-acting-like-he-wants-to-be-president-8b30efa0?st=aGLuVU&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
If Pritzker runs, Republicans will be certain to highlight the challenges Illinois faces. Private sector jobs have been stagnant since he took office, and a massive unfunded pension liability hangs over the state like a black cloud. Taxes are among the highest in the nation, and the state’s population has shrunk since 2020. Violent crime and struggling schools plague Chicago, a favorite target for Trump and conservatives.
“People are voting with their feet,” said Paul Vallas, a conservative-leaning Democrat who is a former Chicago public schools chief and past city budget director. “The state is an absolute disaster.”
Pritzker took over in 2019 amid a budget crisis. He has supported Illinois legislation to protect abortion access, mandate paid time off for workers, raise the minimum wage to $15 for nontipped workers 18 and older, tighten gun restrictions and invest in infrastructure.
He has aggressively recruited businesses, including in quantum computing, and worked to restore some order to state budgeting, helping prompt Moody’s to raise the Illinois credit rating three times during his tenure.
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While he grew up in privilege in California, Pritzker hasn’t had an entirely easy life. As a 7-year-old, his 39-year-old father died while playing tennis in Hawaii. His mother, an alcoholic and Democratic activist who introduced him to politics at a young age, was killed a decade later when after driving drunk she jumped from a moving tow truck after her car broke down.