Pros and Cons of the Pritzker Veepstakes
Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor JB Pritzker campaign together in 2022. (Photo: Getty)
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OPINION
You have to assume Governor JB Pritzker has been sitting down in his 20,000 square foot mansion the past few days doing what we all do when we have to make a big life decision: make a pros and cons list.
Ahh, billionaires. They’re just like us.
This one isn’t about whether to buy the Buick or the Lincoln, though, this list is about whether Pritzker should go all in to be Vice President of the United States.
JB Pritzker has yearned to be President of the United States for probably longer than he’d ever admit to anyone out loud. There’s no doubt in the mind of any plugged in Democrat in the state, some who you may need to give truth serum (slightly violent warning) to get a straight answer, that Pritzker and his campaign team were positioning him for a run at the White House in 2028.
Their hope, as far as I can tell, was that President Biden would sneak through a victory this fall and Pritzker could hang out until the 2028 campaign kicks off in early 2027. If Donald Trump were to win, Pritzker could act as the nominee-in-waiting for the next three years, poking at the Trump administration and camping out on MSNBC to raise his profile.
That whole strategy went out the window June 27 when Biden tanked his debate with Trump and calls for his exit from the race quickly began to follow. 24 days later, Biden was out.
It seemed like Pritzker kept his powder dry in the initial hours after Biden’s announcement and endorsement of Vice President Harris Sunday and didn’t jump on board Harris’ campaign right away. He sure looked like he was keeping an eye out for an opening to seek the nomination.
But, Harris closed ranks and had most of the Democratic establishment wrapped up before the sun went down Sunday, and by 9 am Monday, Pritzker publicly endorsed Harris.
The speculation began shortly after: does the billionaire business executive and head honcho of the sixth largest state in the union want to play second fiddle for the next four or eight years? Or would a 50-50 shot at the White House give him a national platform win or lose?
Some top Democrats believe Pritzker is “very interested” in serving on the ticket with Harris.
But Pritzker, who hasn’t appeared in public since Biden withdrew from the race this weekend, gave the traditional “non denial denial” when asked if he was interested in the job.
“Look, I love being the governor of the State of Illinois,” he said. “I’ve been out on the campaign trail fighting hard for Democrats to win. It’s important to me that we win across the board and all over the United States. So, I’m gonna continue to do that and I’m very interested in making sure that Kamala Harris becomes the next President of the United States.”
It’s almost like his response came from a campaign trope textbook.
So, let’s get back to that pros and cons list being written at some 18th century Italian hand carved kitchen table.
PROS:
You’re a heartbeat away from the presidency. You’re in the room where it happens. You may not be number one, but number two can still do some pretty bigtime stuff.
Two terms with VP Harris makes you the presumptive nominee in 2032. He would turn 68 the day before the inauguration in 2033, so it’s not like he’d be too old for the gig.
Air Force 2, the Naval Observatory, and a motorcade are pretty cool perks.
He could build a national profile and some real foreign policy chops, again, 2032.
CONS:
Being Vice President is worth well, you know.
You have very large homes and more money than Scrooge McDuck, do you really want to be Al Gore or Mike Pence or Dan Quayle?
You could lose to Donald Trump in November, and that could end your national ambitions.
There are also a couple of reasons Harris may not want to choose Pritzker. There’s a huge stigma around Chicago right now, between the border crisis, crime, and more, there are plenty of angles to hit Pritzker on failures in the city.
Democrats will disagree with me on this, but I think both Sen. Mark Kelly and Pritzker will have trouble appealing to moderate voters in rural Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania (and those voters are important, just ask Hillary Clinton) over the issue of guns. Kelly has a personal story through his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was shot and nearly died and has been part of gun control efforts. Pritzker, of course, banned “assault weapons.” Try convincing an independent voter from the Upper Peninsula that the shotgun he keeps in the house is an “assault weapon.”
Also, if Harris picks a young candidate, like Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, you potentially have a Democrat ticket booked up for 2024, 2028, 2032, and 2036. Pritzker would be 75 by the time 2040 rolls around.
It’s hard to know if Pritzker really wants to stay governor into 2027 or later, so finding a place to land could be part of the deal, whether it’s on the ticket or in a Harris cabinet.
Would Pritzker be a good Vice President? If put in the right situation, absolutely. He’s a good attack dog, he’s always on message, and has the business executive background to look like things are under control no matter the situation.
All politicians have egos, and Pritzker is certainly no exception. And it’s going to be tough for a guy with an ego to say no to the trappings of a national ticket.
We’ll see if he gets the chance.
