Wikipedia

JB Pritzker

American businessman and politician (born 1965)
(Redirected from J. B. Pritzker)

Jay Robert Pritzker (born January 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 43rd governor of Illinois since 2019.[1]

JB Pritzker
Official portrait, 2019
43rd Governor of Illinois
Assumed office
January 14, 2019
LieutenantJuliana Stratton
Preceded byBruce Rauner
Chair of the Illinois Human Rights Commission
In office
April 1, 2003 – July 26, 2006
GovernorRod Blagojevich
Preceded byRose Jennings
Succeeded byAbner Mikva
Personal details
Born
Jay Robert Pritzker

(1965-01-19) January 19, 1965 (age 60)
Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
M. K. Muenster
​
(m. 1993)​
Children2
ParentsDonald Pritzker (father)
RelativesPritzker family
EducationDuke University (BA)
Northwestern University (JD)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • businessman
Signature
J. B. Pritzker's voice
J. B. Pritzker on the economy of Illinois
Recorded March 2, 2022

Pritzker was managing partner and co-founder of the Pritzker Group, a private investment firm that operates middle-market service and industrial companies and invests in digital technology companies. He has a net worth of around $3.4 billion. This makes Pritzker the richest governor in the United States.

He became the Democratic nominee for governor in the 2018 election after winning the primary election. He defeated Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner in the election on and took office on January 14, 2019.[1] Pritzker was reelected in 2022.[2]

Early life

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Pritzker was born and raised in Atherton, California. He is a member of the Pritzker family. His older sister is Penny Pritzker, the former U.S secretary of Commerce. He studied at Milton Academy and graduated from Duke University. In 1993, he earned his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University.

Governor of Illinois

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On April 6, 2017, Pritzker announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for governor of Illinois.[3] He was supported by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, Illinois Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, former Illinois Congressman Glenn Poshard, more than a dozen members of the Illinois General Assembly, 21 local labor unions, and the Illinois AFL–CIO.[4]

On August 10, 2017, Pritzker announced that his running mate would be State Representative Juliana Stratton.[5] Pritzker had spent $42 million of his own money on his campaign without receiving funding from any other source.[6] On March 20, 2018, he won the Democratic primary by a large margin, receiving 45.13% of the vote and defeating five opponents.[7] On November 6, 2018, Pritzker beat incumbent Republican governor Bruce Rauner in the general election, receiving 54.53% of the vote to Rauner's 38.83%.[8]

Pritzker was inaugurated as Illinois's 43rd governor on January 14, 2019.[9] With an estimated net worth of $3.6 billion in January 2019, he became the richest politician in the U.S.[10] He won the June 28 Democratic primary and defeated Republican nominee Darren Bailey in the November 8 general election,[11] 54.91% to 42.37%.[12] Pritzker's re-election victory had the highest vote share for any Democratic governor in more than 60 years.[13][14] His second term in office began on January 9, 2023.[15]

National politics

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In 2023, Pritzker did not want to speak with U.S. Representative Dean Phillips about his plans to try to convince him to run against President Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential primary.[16][17]

In 2024, Pritzker was mentioned as a possible running mate for Kamala Harris in her 2024 presidential campaign, but Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was chosen instead. Harris lost the general election.[18][19][20]

Personal life

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In 1993, Pritzker married Mary Kathryn "M. K." Muenster, whom he had met in Washington, D.C., when she worked as an aide to U.S. Senator Tom Daschle.[21] She is one of three children of Theodore and Karen Muenster. Her father unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 1990.[22] They live in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood with their two children.[23] They also reside in the Illinois Governor's Mansion in Springfield.

According to Forbes, in 2024 Pritzker had a net worth of $3.7 billion.[24]

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Slevin, Peter (2023-10-18). "The Billionaire Hotel Heir—and Progressive Hero?". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  2. ↑ "Illinois election results: JB Pritzker wins 2nd governor term, defeating Darren Bailey". ABC7 Chicago. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  3. ↑ Pearson, Rick (April 6, 2017). "J.B. Pritzker joins Illinois governor race, facing big Democratic field to take on Rauner". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  4. ↑ Pearson, Rick; Garcia, Monique (June 6, 2017). "Illinois labor group endorses Pritzker, cementing Democratic front-runner status". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  5. ↑ Pearson, Rick (August 10, 2017). "Pritzker announces state Rep. Stratton as running mate". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  6. ↑ McDermott, Kevin (January 11, 2018). "'Moneyball' : The 2018 Illinois Governor's Race". NPR Illinois. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Election Results". elections.il.gov. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  8. ↑ Schutz, Paris (November 6, 2018). "J.B. Pritzker Defeats Gov. Bruce Rauner in Race for Illinois Governor". WTTW News.
  9. ↑ Riopell, Mike (January 14, 2019). "J. B. Pritzker sworn in as Illinois' 43rd Governor, replacing Bruce Rauner". Chicago Tribune.
  10. ↑ "The World's Billionaires – Jay Robert (J.B.) Pritzker". Forbes. June 3, 2019. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Here are the key primary election results from Illinois". NPR. June 28, 2022. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Pritzker scores double-digit win over Bailey — vowing MAGA right wingers 'will never get an inch of Illinois'". Chicago Sun-Times. November 9, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Pritzker tops the charts". Politico. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Governor JB Pritzker". Illinois.gov. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  15. ↑ "From free college to universal preschool, Pritzker pledges second-term 'agenda as ambitious and bold as our people are'". Chicago Sun-Times. 2023-01-09. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  16. ↑ Hall, Madison (October 31, 2023). "A congressman tried to get the governors of Michigan and Illinois to run against Biden in the Democratic primary, but they wouldn't directly take his calls". Business Insider. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  17. ↑ Alberta, Tim (October 27, 2023). "Dean Phillips Has a Warning for Democrats". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Harris campaign has met with 6 potential VP picks as the selection process nears its end". NBC News. August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  19. ↑ Kapos, Shia (5 August 2024). "What if Pritzker becomes VP?". Politico. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  20. ↑ Petrella, Dan; Olander, Olivia (1 August 2024). "Gov. J.B. Pritzker interviewed twice for Kamala Harris VP slot, source says". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  21. ↑ Kogan, Rick (May 24, 1998). "The Long Run – After His First Date With Politics, J.b. Pritzker Is Ready To Make A Commitment". Chicago Tribune. p. 3. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  22. ↑ Lias, David (May 16, 2009). "New USD Student Center Officially Dedicated". Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  23. ↑ Ahern, Mary Ann (March 1, 2018). "How Many Homes Do the Candidates for Illinois Governor Own?". NBC Chicago. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Forbe's World's Billionaires List The Richest in 2024". Forbe's.com. 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-02.

Other websites

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  Media related to J.B. Pritzker at Wikimedia Commons   Quotations related to JB Pritzker at Wikiquote

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