As Republicans convened a rare midterm national convention in Dallas on Wednesday as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to turn out presidential-year voters, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker helped rally Texas Democrats after launching a new federal political action committee to fund potential pickup targets.
Trump was scheduled to deliver keynote speeches each night of the two-day convention to motivate turnout amid unfavorable voter ratings tied to inflation, the economy and the war in Iran. Pritzker, a vocal Trump critic, is funding the “Ready for the Fight” PAC, invoking his traditional rally cry of asking voters if they’re “ready for the fight” in closing out speeches that often feature attacks on the two-term Republican president.
The PAC’s formation is the latest stage of Pritzker’s national outreach as he considers a potential bid for the White House in 2028. Pritzker, a longtime major Democratic donor even before he was elected governor, previously established Think Big America, a nonprofit advocacy group that has worked in support of abortion rights initiatives.
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“This bizarre Republican midterm convention here can’t paper over the fact that Republicans have done nothing to earn your vote. Donald Trump is hoping that a flashy primetime event will make you forget that,” Pritzker said in Dallas, joined by top Texas Democratic officials and candidates. “His trade war is killing costs for families at the grocery store. His war in Iran is killing ranchers and farmers and their way of life, and his war on people — on the working people, the working families of this country — are raising the costs of healthcare and housing.”
“I’m done pretending that these self-dealing, racist, misogynist grifters are an aberration of the Republican Party,” he continued. “They are the mainstream of the Republican Party now.”
Pritzker sought to deflect whether his Texas appearance or the creation of his new PAC was part of a broader strategy for seeking the White House, saying, “What’s good for the people of Illinois is if Democrats win across the country and the Congress becomes a Democratic Congress.”
Asked by a reporter if Democrats feared any Republican presidential contender in 2028, Pritzker said, “Anybody that is showing up here and bootlicking Donald Trump, and that’s what this is all about, is probably going to be disqualified in 2028.
“I don’t think Democrats are afraid of anything in 2028,” he said.
Pritzker’s Nov. 3 GOP opponent, former Illinois lawmaker Darren Bailey — who courted and got Trump’s endorsement in Bailey’s 2022 loss for governor but has sought to distance himself from the president during this year’s campaign — traveled to Dallas for the convention with running mate Aaron Del Mar. Top state GOP officials also attended, including party chair Bob Grogan.
“JB Pritzker would rather fly to Texas and attack Republicans than answer for nearly eight years of higher taxes, soaring utility bills and families struggling to afford everyday life,” Bailey said in a statement.
“Texas doesn’t need JB Pritzker’s money and Illinois doesn’t need another four years of his failures,” Bailey said. “He should take his checkbook, his ego and his presidential ambitions back home.”
Pritzker has maintained a close relationship with Texas Democrats. In June, he delivered the keynote speech at the Texas Democratic Party’s state convention. That followed his move in August of last year to welcome 40 Texas Democratic lawmakers to Illinois who fled their home state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass newly drawn congressional maps. The Democrats eventually returned, and Republicans passed their GOP-favorable map.
Pritzker’s Texas visit came a day after the creation of his new PAC was announced with the purpose of helping ensure “Democrats competing in districts that Trump won will have the resources and support to fight MAGA candidates who put their fealty to Donald Trump above delivering for the people of their districts.”
Funded with $20 million in startup money from Pritzker, an entrepreneur and a billionaire heir of the Hyatt hotel fortune, PAC officials said it would soon place advertising to combat Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller in Ohio, who is facing an investigation over abuse allegations from his wife, and Texas GOP candidate Brandon Herrera, a controversial social media figure and gun rights advocate.
Pritzker acknowledged the PAC is aiming to help Democratic candidates in districts that have backed Trump but where voters may be taking another look at the state of current affairs.
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“I think that the ones that are easier to flip are certainly attracting all the attention and a lot of the resources, and so I wanted to be helpful in these last eight weeks in those districts where I think maybe we can just push people a little bit over the top,” he said on Tuesday during an unrelated stop at Illinois State University.
“They may be in districts … where perhaps because of the national mood and the desire for change will lead to a Democrat getting elected in a district that you might not have otherwise expected,” he said. “But having said that, in districts that are more swingy, we’ll certainly also perhaps play a role wherever we can.”