What Happens if Pritzker Goes to Washington?
Then-statewide candidates JB Pritzker, Juliana Stratton, and Mike Frerichs campaign in Springfield the night before the 2018 election. (Photo: State Journal-Register)
NOTE: This story was originally posted for subscribers only. To receive subscriber-only newsletters and content, click here.
OPINION
If Governor JB Pritzker joins the ticket as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate or would leave Illinois to join a potential Harris administration in the cabinet, it would set off a series of events that would potentially lead to chaos in Illinois government and politics.
If Pritzker resigns, he’ll be replaced by Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, who would be the first female and first African American governor in the state’s history.
Stratton, an attorney from Chicago’s south side, served a few days less than a full term in the Illinois House. She defeated Ken Dunkin in the 2016 primary and was plucked as Pritzker’s running mate just seven months after taking office in the General Assembly.
Stratton has had a relatively thin portfolio as Pritzker’s Lt. Governor and the job, much like Vice President, has few constitutional responsibilities.
“She’s so unqualified [to be Governor] it’s a joke,” one Republican lawmaker said Tuesday on the condition of anonymity. “Can you imagine her standing up and trying to present a budget? It’s already a disaster and it would be ten times worth with her in charge.”
But Democrats we spoke to believe even though Stratton’s legislative portfolio hasn’t been promoted publicly, she is a “partner” to Pritzker in running the state.
“If Governor Pritzker didn’t believe she had the stuff to be Governor, he never would have picked her,” a longtime Democratic insider said. “She hasn’t made the kind of decisions the Governor has in the past six years, but it’s easy to see how someone with her talent could slide into the job effectively.”
Pritzker is considered by many to be the most progressive Governor in at least a generation, and possibly in the history of the state, and Stratton is often considered more progressive on the issues.
Without Pritzker’s executive-level experience and billions he has in the bank, there are concerns Stratton can relate to moderate voters traditionally needed to win a competitive election.
She often starts her public appearances by declaring her “she/her” pronouns, which as been met with eye rolls in some crowds, specifically downstate.
If Stratton were to assume the Governor’s Office, she would immediately be met with financial challenges in a first budget. Without tax increases passed by the General Assembly in May, the budget is still balanced by a hair, and any downturn in the economy or underperformance in revenue could lead to an incredibly difficult FY26 budget for a new Gov. Stratton and the legislature.
“Even with the expertise and negotiation skills Governor Pritzker and his team have, it was hard to get it done this year,” said the Democratic insider. “If it doesn’t go perfectly next year, it will be even harder for Pritzker’s team. That would be a really tough job for a new Stratton administration.”
A Stratton spokesperson did not return a message from The Illinoize.
If she were to ascend to the Governor’s Office, she would likely have fellow statewide elected Democrats gunning for her politically in the 2026 primary.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, State Treasurer Mike Frerichs, and Comptroller Susana Mendoza have all hinted, either through fundraising or the way they’ve positioned themselves, that they are interested in higher office.
“It could be absolute chaos,” said the Democratic insider. “Chaos.”
A similar instance happened when former Gov. Pat Quinn was elevated from Lt. Governor (or Lite Gov, as some in the statehouse call it) after his predecessor was removed from office in 2009. Quinn stumbled out of the blocks and was challenged in the 2010 primary by then-Comptroller Dan Hynes.
Quinn held on to win the primary by around 8,300 votes out of more than 900,000 cast. He narrowly won a full term that November.
If Mr. Pritzker heads to Washington, he would leave the state to Stratton, and how she responds will be anybody’s guess.