FILE – In this March 24, 2021 file photo, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker answers questions at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill. Gov. Pritzker on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, signed legislation to make health care more accessible and equitable for people of color. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP, File)
After Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced his reelection campaign Monday, state political leaders have expressed mixed reactions.
Not to much surprise, the reactions have been split thus far primarily down party lines, with Republicans naming reasons they feel Pritzker failed during his term as governor and Democrats voicing support for the re-election.
"It is because of Gov. Pritzker’s courage, compassion and guidance that we are emerging from a global pandemic safely and stronger than we were before it began. When others ignored science and condemned sound judgement, Gov. Pritzker forged ahead with the tough choices our families, workers and businesses needed," Rep. Robin Kelly, Chair of the Democratic Part of Illinois said in a statement.
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy said the governor failed residents in responding to the pandemic when it came to addressing in-person learning, getting back to work and nursing home care.
"Governor Pritzker’s record on helping Illinois through the pandemic is a failure. I look forward to talking about that and his radical policy agenda out of step with Illinoisans in the upcoming election," Tracy said in a statement.
Paul Schimpf, Republican candidate for Illinois governor, also issued a statement on Pritzker's reelection Monday, calling his time in office the "Pritzker Leadership Deficit."
"In three years, JB Pritzker has demonstrated he has neither the vision nor the leadership skills to unite our state. Simply put, Illinoisans deserve better--they deserve a leader with commonsense who will renew our state," Schimpf said.
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Pritzker's tweet announcing his reelection Monday afternoon has received over 1,300 likes, along with more than 300 replies within about five hours.
"We’ve been through a lot," Pritzker wrote in the tweet, "and I’ve been so proud to see Illinoisans come together during the toughest of times."
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Pritzker said he's "excited to fight for the state I love" alongside Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, "and there’s no limit to what we can do going forward."
Pritzker has been coy up until now about whether he planned to run again for governor.
Pritzker became Illinois' 43rd governor in January 2019. A little more than a year later, Pritzker ordered residents to "stay at home" as the coronavirus began to take hold.
He posted the announcement Monday along with a campaign video showing his response to the coronavirus pandemic in Illinois.
"Part of why I’m running for re-election is because I watched the heroes across our state step up and do the right thing," Pritzker said in a follow-up statement. "We had so much to accomplish and we were able to do that -- together. I’m very proud of all of the people of the state of Illinois and we have so much more we can do together."
"From increasing the minimum wage, making historic investments in infrastructure and creating jobs, to expanding access to health care and bringing fiscal stability back to state government, we’ve made real progress for the people of Illinois," said Lt. Gov. Stratton in a statement.
