Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was interviewed twice this week by Vice President Kamala Harris’ vetting team as she nears an announcement on a running mate for her nascent presidential campaign, according to a source familiar with the conversations.
The most recent interview took place Wednesday, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details of the confidential process.
Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, is expected to make the first public appearance with her running mate Tuesday in Philadelphia, kicking off a tour of battleground states that will include stops in Wisconsin and Michigan. Among those also reportedly in the running are Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona.
Pritzker, a second-term Democrat, has not been among the most frequently mentioned candidates for the No. 2 spot. But he’s been a loyal surrogate for Harris and, prior to his withdrawal from the race, to President Joe Biden. The Hyatt Hotels heir, who will be de facto host of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, is also a potential financial asset to the campaign, with a fortune estimated by Forbes at $3.5 billion.
The Harris campaign did not respond immediately Thursday to a request for comment.
While largely sidestepping direct questions about his role in the vetting process, Pritzker has stepped up his national media appearances in the past few weeks. His campaign operation on Thursday released a video, pegged to the upcoming DNC, touting his accomplishments as governor such as raising the minimum wage and enshrining protections for abortion access in state law.
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In the nearly four-minute video, titled “Democrats Deliver,” Pritzker says: “Perhaps of everywhere in this great country, there’s no better place to see the change possible under Democratic leadership than here in Illinois.”
Also on Thursday, the leaders of Illinois abortion rights political action committee Personal PAC and Men4Choice Advocacy sent a letter to Harris urging her to choose Pritzker.
“At a time when support for our individual liberties and for bodily autonomy could not be more important, Gov. Pritzker’s unwavering commitment, demonstrated by decades of allyship and activism in support of abortion rights, access, and so much more, speaks volumes about his character and priorities,” wrote Personal PAC CEO Sarah Garza Resnick and Men4Choice Advocacy Executive Director Oren Jacobson.
Pritzker and wife M.K. have contributed $425,500 to Personal PAC since 2005, state campaign finance records show.
Separately, Pritzker’s campaign posted a video to social media Thursday of the governor reemphasizing his endorsement of Harris, which he made a day after Biden dropped out of the race. Pritzker’s abortion rights advocacy group, Think Big America, which is run by the same team as his campaign, shared the video as well.
In another development Thursday, Pritzker got a boost from some of Illinois’ most powerful businesspeople, 40 of whom sent a letter to Harris’ campaign pushing for him to be picked as her running mate.
Those who sent the letter are heads of some of the biggest development and investment organizations in Chicago. Many are also big Democratic fundraisers and contributors.
Among those whose names were included: Curt Bailey, president of Related Midwest. Related and the Chicago White Sox have met with state officials about the possibility of state funding to help build a ballpark on Related’s development called The 78, a vacant site on the Chicago River in the South Loop. Chairman George McCaskey and CEO Kevin Warren of the Chicago Bears, who are seeking state assistance for their planned new stadium development along Lake Michigan, also signed their names to the letter.
The CEOs of Allstate and Abbott Laboratories, as well as prominent Democratic donor and wealth-asset manager Michael Sacks, who hosted a big-dollar fundraising event with President Joe Biden in April, also signed on.
“His proven track record of fiscal responsibility, job creation, and bipartisan collaboration would make him an ideal partner in the White House,” the letter said of Pritzker. “His leadership has not only benefited Illinois but has also set a standard for what effective governance can achieve.”
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday night, Pritzker spoke out in Harris’ defense after Republican nominee Donald Trump falsely claimed at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago that Harris only recently embraced her Black identity.
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Noting that Trump ended an interview with three Black journalists at the convention early, Pritzker said, “I start to wonder whether he’s got the stamina to actually get up on a debate stage with Kamala Harris for 90 minutes.”
Virtual voting by delegates for the Democratic presidential nomination began Thursday morning and is scheduled to conclude Monday evening. Under new rules approved by party officials last week, Harris, who is the only official candidate, will be able to name her running mate after securing the nomination.