Although the 2022 midterm elections are coming to a close, election season isn't over just yet.
There's the Chicago Mayoral Election on Feb. 28, 2023. And then while it may seem a ways away, the U.S. Presidential Election is just around the corner from that -- on Nov. 5, 2024.
According to the federal government, general elections in the United States are held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November, meaning Election Day always falls on or between Nov. 2 and Nov. 8.
Additionally, federal elections are held once every two years in the United States, with presidential elections occurring once every four years.
While most states hold statewide elections on even-numbered years as well, Virginia, New Jersey, Louisiana and Mississippi all hold their gubernatorial and statewide elections in odd-numbered years.
In each federal election, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and a third of the 100 U.S. Senate seats are decided upon. In this year's general elections, 34 senate seats across the country will be voted on.
Pritzker's Election Day Victory Speech Sparks Speculation Over Possible Run for President
While the next presidential election feels far off, aspiring presidential candidates typically announce their campaigns during the calendar year preceding the general election.
And after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker cruised to a win to secure a second term in office Tuesday, his victory speech quickly drew speculation over whether he plans to seek a higher office.
Touting a victory for women's rights and warning against conservative extremism, Pritzker challenged Illinois voters with a message of "Are you ready to fight?" in a speech that some believe could be a hint his sights are set beyond Springfield.
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Speculation over a potential presidential run has been ongoing for months in the lead-up to the election.
In a report from the New York Times late last year, Pritzker was noted to have "talked privately about his interest in seeking the White House at some point should the opportunity arise."
"I have no intention of running for anything but election for governor," Pritzker said at the time.
"Of course people have mentioned this to me, on occasion, but I've never had a conversation with anybody about it," he added of the reports. "I have never spoken to anyone privately or publicly about that."
The Illinois governor has notably been raising his national profile in recent months, with a trip to New Hampshire fueling a number of questions ahead of Illinois' primary election in June.
But on Tuesday, Pritzker sounded like a different candidate. Mere paragraphs were reserved for his Prairie State pursuits including a comfortable living wage, robust health care, and virtually unfettered access to abortion, despite the Supreme Court's upending the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
Instead, he warned of a “cancer” that has spread through “one ideological wing" of his rival Republican party, lead by Trump, who has suggested he'll attempt a comeback.
“They’ve had ample opportunity to treat the disease and they have refused to do so at every turn. The result has been treasonous insurrectionists tearing down the doors of the U.S. Capitol, the maiming of Capitol Police and an attack on the 82-year-old husband of the speaker of the House with a hammer in his own home," Pritzker said, referring to last month's attack on Paul Pelosi.
Pritzker, who defeated incumbent Bruce Rauner in the 2018 election, will be sworn in for a second term in office in 2023, along with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, after defeating Bailey and Republican Lt. Gov. candidate Stephanie Trussell.
"Tonight, you made history," Pritzker said as he addressed supporters. "Four years ago, I told you that we would think big, that we'd write a new playbook, that we put government back on the side of working families, that we would be bold, and we didn't waste any time. We raised the minimum wage to a livable wage. We guaranteed a woman's right to choose. We balanced the budget, paid all our overdue bills and got six credit upgrades."
