Prairie State Wire

Ted Dabrowski, a gubernatorial candidate for Illinois, criticized Governor J.B. Pritzker's comparison of modern politics to Nazi Germany as irresponsible and ahistorical. Dabrowski made this statement in a press release.

"Gov. Pritzker has chosen to be irresponsible," said Dabrowski. "Gov. Pritzker should really be ashamed of himself for continuing to use this ahistorical, incendiary rhetoric and compounding the shamefulness of it with unfounded conspiracy theories about the 2026 elections. And what we're seeing right now is the very same thing. In the very early days of the Nazi regime, they started slowly but surely taking away people's rights."

According to the release, Dr. Carrie Mendoza also condemned Governor Pritzker’s recurring Nazi analogies as "ahistorical" and "irresponsible." She urged leaders to "tone down their rhetoric and appeal to people's better angels," linking the danger of such language to a polarized climate. Mendoza cited incidents of violence, such as "the shooting at the ICE facility in Dallas," as examples of the consequences of inflammatory rhetoric. She found the comparison particularly offensive during the week marking the October 7 anniversary when "actual fascists murdered 1,195 Israelis… and continue to hold 48 hostages." Mendoza added that a new memoir by hostage Eli Sharabi recounts "torture and starvation… just as the Jews experienced under the Nazis 80 years ago."

Further backlash from survivors and constituents is highlighted in Dabrowski's statement as evidence that Pritzker's rhetoric crosses a line. Holocaust survivor Jerry Wartski reportedly admonished Pritzker, saying, "What Pritzker says is mentally sick… an affront to Holocaust survivors. It hurts." A constituent identified as "Nancy from Northbrook" wrote, "stop accusing political opponents of being Nazis… The only Nazis that exist currently are Hamas. NOT Trump, ICE, or the National Guard." Mendoza concluded that Pritzker’s "rhetorical recklessness… should be viewed as dangerous" and argued it "should disqualify him from public office."

Dabrowski brings over three decades of experience in international finance and domestic policy leadership. He spent 16 years in senior financial roles, including serving as Head of Corporate Banking at Citibank in Poland, where he advised the government on economic liberalization and managed multi-billion-dollar Treasury portfolios in Poland and Mexico. After returning to the United States, Dabrowski became Vice President of Policy at the Illinois Policy Institute and later served as President of Wirepoints, a nonprofit focused on Illinois’ economy and government. His research has been cited by national outlets including The Wall Street Journal. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago, an MBA in finance from the Wharton School, and a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech.