Analyst: Data refutes Pritzker's DNC claims about Illinois economy

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker used the spotlight at the Democratic National Convention to highlight the successes of Illinois and the Democratic Party, but the president of a nonprofit think tank says the numbers don’t add up.

Pritzker said there is no better place to see that change is possible under Democratic leadership than in Illinois. Democrats currently hold the super-majority in the Illinois legislature.

“If you look at the statistics , we are at the bottom of the barrel for most things that matter to most people,” said Ted Dabrowski, president of Wirepoints. “When it comes to jobs, incomes and economic growth, safety, all those things.”

Pritzker claimed that Democrats are champions of jobs, but as Dabrowski points out, there are 85,000 fewer Illinoisans employed today than when Pritzker took office five years ago, and the state’s unemployment rate is the second-worst in the country.

“We don’t have business-friendly laws, our pension debt is the biggest in the country and it sucks up a lot of money so it makes our economy worse,” said Dabrowski. “We have a lot of corruption, of course, too many units of government, all those things get in the way of companies doing what they do best and that is hiring and growing.”

Data from the Economic Policy Institute shows that Illinois' Black unemployment rate is at a staggering 8.8%, which is the third worst behind only Kentucky and Ohio.

“Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson, all of them are so obsessed about equity, and they keep using the terms equity and progressive values, but if you look at what their policies do to minorities, it’s really sad,” said Dabrowski.

Dabrowski notes that Illinois has had the 3rd-biggest loss of population since the last decennial count was completed in 2020, with a drop of more than 240,000 people. On the other hand, Texas and Florida gained more than 1 million in population over the three years.