In the strongest indication yet that he is under active consideration for the Democratic vice presidential nomination, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday he couldn’t comment on “private discussions” when asked if presumptive presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ campaign staff had contacted him for vetting as she seeks a running mate.
Appearing on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” the second-term Illinois governor also showed his interest and willingness to accept the post of vice president if it is offered to him.
“I love being governor of Illinois, The people of Illinois have graced me with that title for the last two elections. And, you know, I’d be reluctant to make a change,” he said. “But it’d be hard to resist a call and consideration if the nominee called me to ask to be considered for vice president.”
Pritzker was an ardent supporter of President Joe Biden’s reelection bid until Biden withdrew from the race in favor of Harris on Sunday. Previously among names being considered as a possible replacement for Biden, Pritzker endorsed Harris’ presidential bid Monday and immediately found himself mentioned as a potential running mate.
Pritzker, a billionaire entrepreneur and heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune whose net worth is estimated at $3.5 billion by Forbes, is the nation’s wealthiest elected official and his money could prove attractive in the Democrats’ effort to retain the White House against former Republican President Donald Trump.
More than just traveling nationally in a surrogate role for the Democratic ticket, Pritzker has been a vociferous critic of Trump, regularly labeling him “a racist,” “a homophobe,” “a grifter” and “a felon.” Traditionally, vice presidential candidates take the attack dog role, allowing the top of the ticket to remain above the fray. That model has literally been flipped on its head in the era of Trump-style politics.
Pritzker has not made himself available to local media since Biden quit the race. Instead, he has done national interviews with MSNBC and CNN, outlets that often serve as open auditions for politicians seeking higher office or looking to increase their visibility.
On Tuesday morning, Pritzker told MSNBC that he had not received vetting materials for the vice presidential slot from Harris’ political team. But Wednesday, he stopped short of that when asked directly if he had been asked to submit paperwork to be vetted.
“Well, I’m not going to talk about any private conversations that I’ve had,” he said. “But as you know, I’ve been traveling the country advocating for Kamala Harris for the Democratic ticket and making sure that we’re beating Donald Trump everywhere we can.”
Pritzker political aides did not return requests for comment on the governor’s latest statements.
The Illinois governor joins a list of potential running mates that includes Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Andy Beshear of Kentucky as well as U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona.
In his CNN interview, Pritzker said there had been a “palpable” change among Democrats since Biden stepped out of the race and that Harris was bringing new energy to the party just in time for the Chicago-based convention that he will host.
“The convention itself is a palpably exciting event now, and I think inside the hall, you’re going to see Democrats coming together and supporting the person I think is going to be our nominee. And that’s Kamala Harris,” he said.
Under rules adopted by the Democratic National Convention’s rules committee that are aimed at ensuring the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates appear on all 50 state ballots, Harris must name a running mate within the next two weeks.
The DNC faces an Aug. 7 deadline and plans to hold virtual vote by delegates to select a presidential candidate. Under the rules, voting by delegates on a presidential nominee can begin no earlier than Aug. 1.
Harris has already secured backing from a majority of convention nominating delegates.
The rules say that once the presidential nominee is selected, the nominee may place a vice presidential candidate into nomination, with Minyon Moore, the convention chair, declaring that candidate to be the party’s vice presidential nominee.
At the convention, “celebratory and ceremonial votes” of the delegates will be taken including a state-by-state roll call on the presidential nominee, convention officials said.