Biography
JB Pritzker is the 43rd Governor of Illinois, a Democrat seeking a third term. A businessman before entering office, he was first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. As governor he signed a phase-in of a $15 minimum wage, an assault-weapons ban, abortion-rights and immigrant-protection laws, and created a Department of Early Childhood.[1][2][3][4][5]
Pritzker graduated from Duke University in 1987 and earned a law degree from Northwestern University.[1] After college he worked in Washington on the staffs of Rep. Tom Lantos and Sen. Alan Dixon.[1]
He later co-founded Pritzker Group Private Capital with his brother Anthony and served as its managing partner until 2017.[1]
Pritzker won the governorship in 2018 by defeating incumbent Republican Bruce Rauner, and won a second term in 2022 against Darren Bailey.[1] On June 26, 2025, he announced that he would seek a third term, with former state Rep. Christian Mitchell as his running mate; Bailey is again his Republican opponent.[1][2] He and his wife, MK, have been married for more than 30 years and have two children.[5]
- 1.JB Pritzker · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 2.JB for Governor · JB Pritzker campaign · 2026-10-19 Candidate's own words
- 3.Gov. Pritzker Signs Historic Minimum Wage Legislation Giving 1.4 Million Illinoisans a Raise · Office of Governor JB Pritzker · 2019-02-19 Official record
- 4.Gov. Pritzker Signs Legislation Banning Assault Weapons and Sale of High-Capacity Magazines · Office of Governor JB Pritzker · 2023-01-10 Official record
- 5.The Governor · Office of the Governor of Illinois · 2026-10-19 Official record
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.