Gov. J.B. Pritzker | Facebook
Gov. J.B. Pritzker | Facebook
The political setbacks keep on racking up for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) even within his own party.
The latest one came after the Democratic Party of Illinois elected Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-Dist. 2) as the new party chair over Pritzker's handpicked candidate, Chicago Alderman Michelle A. Harris.
Various media outlets pounced on the governor's latest defeat in the political arena while also crediting Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) with a win for backing Kelly's candidacy.
“Harris’ loss was a blow to first-term Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who sought to consolidate power in the party with Madigan leaving the political scene.” the Chicago Tribune reported.
Chicago Sun-Times pointed out the swing in the influence and power away from the governor is something that should worry Pritzker's inner circle. "Harris had the backing of Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, while Kelly had the support of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Speaker of the U.S. House Nancy Pelosi.”
Statehouse reporter Mark Maxwell put Pritzker’s latest debacle in a nutshell on a single tweet. “Pritzker tried to push Senator Kim Lightford as Senate President. The caucus recoiled at his involvement. She lost. He pushed Michelle Harris for party chair. She lost. He pushed decoupling with supermajorities and lost. The 2019 honeymoon is over.”
Certainly, these stumbles, along with the stunning defeat of his tax hike proposal in November have put Pritzker in an embarrassing situation — in the political arena of the State, he is supposed to head his party.
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