Illinois Governor JB Pritzker floated as potential VP running mate

CHICAGO (CBS) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has been floated as a potential running mate to Kamala Harris, who on Sunday announced her intention to run for the Democratic nomination for president following the news that President Joe Biden would not seek reelection.

Pritzker was at his Gold Coast home on Sunday, and it was unclear what talks he has had or who he has been communicating with since Mr. Biden suspended his reelection campaign earlier in the day.

Pritzker is one of several people who could potentially join Harris on a Democratic ticket, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock.

In recent weeks, Pritzker has remained supportive of Mr. Biden following that not-so-stellar debate back in June. But while publicly supporting the president, the governor was caught on a hot microphone saying "this doesn't look good" when mentioning Mr. Biden's staying power.

"I think we'll look back on this moment in history as sort of an incredible turning point for our politics," said Alvin Bernard Tillery, a Democratic pollster and professor of political science at Northwestern University.

If Harris becomes the nominee, she has weeks to pick her running mate. Tillery said her options lack name recognition.

"We have none of that," he said. "I mean, Harris has universial name recognition among young voters. All of the others, they don't have the star power."

However, Tillery said Prtizker would benefit Harris.

"She's got the name recognition, the money. She can beat back the Republican legal challenges. None of those other candidates can do, with the exception of Governor Pritzker, who's wealthy enough to self-fund because, unlike Donald Trump, he is a real billionaire. And so, anyone else is just not going to be able to land the plane. If Vice President Harris wants to win, a strong look at Governor Pritzker makes a ton of sense."

Besides the money, the governor has been someone people within the party have kept their eyes on. He spoke out about biases of anti DEI bills, pushing back on book bans about Black history, LGBTQ rights, and he has been a huge supporter of abortion rights.

"He's been really strong on those issues, and so, whether or not he's on the ticket, I think Vice President Harris should really take a study of how he's governed for how to energize her campaign," said Bernard Tillery.

Pritzker on Sunday released a statement expressing gratitude to Mr. Biden for his decades of political service, writing, "His is a storied political career culminating in one of the most accomplished and effective presidencies of our lifetime."

His statement also said that "we must not ignore the threat posed by Donald Trump's potential return to the White House" and that Priztker would "work every day to ensure that he does not win in November."