Pritzker on Veep Speculation: "I'm Not Here for Tryouts"
Governor JB Pritzker poses for a photo at the state office building in downtown Chicago. He is remaining mostly mum on speculation he’s under consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. (Photo: Bloomberg)
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Governor JB Pritzker continued to play coy through the weekend on speculation he was interested in serving as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate and denied he had spoken with her campaign.
Pritzker spoke with reporters for the first time since President Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race Sunday, though he has made multiple appearances on cable television.
Pritzker denied a Chicago Sun-Times report that the Harris campaign called him Wednesday to gauge his interest in joining the ticket claiming Thursday the Harris campaign “did not call me yesterday.” The Sun-Times, by the way, stood by its Wednesday report.
“I have had a number of conversations with people I do regularly with the [Harris] campaign, and as you know, I’ve been traveling the country to promote the Biden-Harris ticket, and now, of course, the Harris-led ticket,” he said, later claiming he didn’t want to discuss any private conversations with the campaign.
When asked at a separate event announcing a quantum computing campus on the far south side what he thought he could bring to the ticket, Pritzker said he wasn’t looking to make a public effort to position for the job.
“I’m not here for tryouts,” Pritzker said. “I really believe that what we need in this country is leadership that brings character, honesty, integrity. That’s what Joe Biden brought to the job. I believe Kamala Harris will bring that to the job, too. That’s what I think is very important for the future of the country.”
Pritzker appeared on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday and declined to discuss his role in the VP search.
“I’m not gonna talk about that,” Pritzker said.
Multiple reports indicate Pritzker is on Harris’ short list, along with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and others.
It appears, though, even if Pritzker isn’t chosen, he’ll continue to be a top surrogate for Harris.
"I was very clear with the vice president and her staff that I'm gonna work my heart out for her to become the next president of the United States,” he said.