Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was mum on reports that he has been contacted by the presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris about interest in a slot as her running mate in the November election.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported on Wednesday that Pritzker had been called by the Harris campaign to gauge his interest level in a spot on the ticket, but declined to elaborate on what took place on the call.
“I’m not going to talk about the private conversations I’ve had,” he said in an interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell.
Pritzker said he intends to continue campaigning for the Democratic cause across the United States in the lead-up to the election.
“I’ve been traveling the country making the case for Democrats all across these great United States. I’m going to continue to do that until Election Day and beyond, and I must say that Kamala Harris has energized the party,” he said. “We’re all excited about the opportunity going forward to make this case, to win back all the voters who frankly weren’t so turned on by both candidates, but now see Kamala Harris as a real opportunity to carry this country forward.”
Pritzker’s remarks come amid increasing speculation over who could be the running mate for Harris on a presidential ticket. Numerous other candidates have emerged, with MSNBC reporting that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly have been asked to submit vetting materials to the campaign.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro have all also been reportedly asked to submit materials, as has Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Pritzker, one of the party’s most prolific fundraisers, says that Harris’ standing as a former prosecutor will ignite Democratic supporters to get behind her campaign.
“We’re talking about a woman who’s going to stand up for women’s reproductive rights, who has had a long history of standing up for worker’s rights, voter’s rights and civil rights, and of course Donald Trump doesn’t believe in any of those things. I think the contrast is clear. They’re going to throw invectives. We’re going to talk about the issues,” he said.
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The governor was also asked about President Joe Biden’s address to the nation, and was full of praise for the president he had steadfastly defended as the party’s candidate after a much-discussed performance in a presidential debate in late June.
“I have to say I listened to it and there was a particular part of it where he talked about democracy being more important than one person. It’s about the American people, and I can’t imagine Donald Trump ever saying anything like that,” he said. “(Biden) is a person of honesty and integrity, and we should all be proud to have a president like that.”
It is expected that Democrats will name their presidential nominee during a virtual roll call on Aug. 1. That nominee will then be tasked with choosing their running mate before Aug. 7, with a ceremonial vote set to take place during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Aug. 19-22.
