An unusual and chaotic set of political circumstances forced Illinois’s billionaire governor to take the lead in securing the Democratic convention for Chicago.
Listen to this article · 7:31 min Learn more
- Share full article
“In Illinois, Democrats deliver,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in an email when asked for his pitch for the convention.
The request for a bid for the Democratic National Convention had been sitting unanswered in the office of Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago for two to three weeks in the summer of 2021 when Anne Caprara, the chief of staff to Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, burst into the governor’s office with a Politico article saying Chicago was being courted.
“Why wouldn’t Chicago do this?” Mr. Pritzker asked, according to his senior aides.
Three eventful years later, Chicago has a new mayor, the Democratic Party has a new standard-bearer, and the city is completing final preparations for the convention. Through it all, Mr. Pritzker has been the constant, the anchor to which the city’s effort has been tied.
In the days before the curtain is raised, the governor has been out and about in his hometown — in a tavern across from Wrigley Field chatting with the MSNBC host Jen Psaki, at Wrigley talking to convention volunteers, at a thank-you luncheon at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union hall on Saturday. On Sunday, he is set to appear at a Chicago taping of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
In short, the city might be the mayor’s, but the party this week will be the governor’s.
“I think his role can’t be overstated,” said State Representative Kam Buckner, an ally in the legislature and a rising star in Chicago politics. “The world is watching, and Governor Pritzker is acutely aware of that.”
ImageMr. Pritzker checking the convention stage at the United Center in Chicago on Friday.Credit…Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The political stakes of the convention changed for Mr. Pritzker after President Biden’s decision to drop out of the race and the elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the ticket.
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Source: nytimes.com
