As Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker positions himself as the foil to President Donald Trump, a look at his record as governor is telling. What it is telling is not good.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is raising his national profile as he ponders becoming a candidate in the 2028 presidential primary, but his time leading Illinois offers plenty of evidence about his ability to govern effectively.
Or not.
Pritzker has been making campaign stops around the country. He’s positioning himself as Donald Trump’s chief antagonist, the leader Democrats need.
A billionaire heir, he has spent over $350 million of his inherited fortune to win election and reelection as governor. He’s spent tens of millions more to bring the Democratic National Convention to Chicago and to bankroll Democratic candidates, activist groups nationwide and policy proposals.
Voters wondering if they should give him a shot at a higher office should evaluate his record as governor through the lens of the key crises threatening America’s future. Here’s how he stacks up:
The economic threat
Pritzker has dismissed tariffs and tax reform as tools to protect American industry, instead favoring large subsidies and corporate giveaways.
Yet, Illinois’ 4.8% unemployment rate in April exceeded the national average of 4.2%. That unemployment rate translates into 322,000 Illinoisans looking for work, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Post-COVID job growth in Illinois has been driven largely by public sector hiring. In 2024, the only job gains came from the government as the state gained 15,600 state government jobs and 16,000 local government jobs. It simultaneously lost 16,200 jobs in professional and business services.
Securing the border
Illinois – especially Chicago – has used its sanctuary state and city status to offset people moving away. While outmigration has led to 1.6 million residents leaving the state since 2000 and contributed to nearly a decade of population decline, the recent influx of international migrants has padded the population. Rather than accept responsibility and work to improve reasons people move, Pritzker has claimed the Census itself is inaccurate in its reporting.
The state is now home to an estimated 530,000 undocumented immigrants, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. It has spent more than $2.6 billion on migrant services. In some cases, undocumented migrants are receiving benefits that many legal residents, struggling with their own challenges, do not.
Economic growth
Illinois lags the nation in nearly every key post-COVID economic metric and has become the “sick child” of the Midwest. Since Pritzker took office in 2019, the Illinois economy has grown 4.4% in real terms; three times slower than U.S. growth of 12.2%. The “Rich States, Poor States” report from the American Legislative Exchange Council ranks Illinois 46th in economic outlook for 2025 and 47th in economic performance during the past decade.
Taxes and government growth
Illinois has hiked taxes and fees over 70 times since 2010 costing residents $110 billion. But rather than solving the state’s fiscal problems, the tax hikes have simply fueled more government spending. Pritzker has raised taxes and fees 49 times, compared to nine times under Gov. Bruce Rauner and 12 under Gov. Pat Quinn, even after receiving over $15 billion in federal COVID funds.
Under Pritzker, state spending has grown 36%. By comparison, spending under Rauner increased just 8%, and 15% under Quinn.
Debt and fiscal responsibility
Illinois owes $144 billion in state pension debt, though actuaries estimate the load could be much higher. Its total state and local pension debt is about double that of all neighboring states combined. Year after year, Illinois budgets rely on short-term fixes and deferred obligations. Even after receiving an extra $35 billion from a combination of pandemic federal relief and higher than expected revenues, the state is facing a budget deficit in 2026.
For example, Pritzker’s proposed budget is $5.1 billion less than the actuarially required pension contribution needed to make real progress on reducing the long-term shortfall.
Public safety
Illinois became the first state in the country to completely eliminate cash bail, while failing to implement protections for victims, witnesses or police officers. In the Midwest, it has the highest robbery rate and the second-highest murder rate. Chicago leads the nation in murders, school-age child homicides and mass shootings among major cities.
Public education
Illinois public schools are among the highest funded in the nation, but also among the worst performing. The state spends an average of $21,800 per student – 16% to 64% more than neighboring states. Chicago Public Schools spends more than $30,000 per student. Less than one-third of Illinois third graders could read at grade level.
Pritzker became the first governor in the country to eliminate a school choice program when he let the statewide Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program expire. It was helping over 15,000 low-income families access schools that best met their needs, leaving needy families and students scrambling.
The threat to democracy
Despite promising to only approve a fair legislative district map, Pritzker backtracked and passed another gerrymandered map to keep his peers in power. Democrats hold a veto-proof majority in the Illinois General Assembly and Pritzker donates heavily to Democratic campaigns as well as statewide referendums.
Pritzker issued more than 100 executive orders during his tenure – including extending COVID emergency powers more than 40 times – long after other states ended their declarations, effectively granting himself unchecked power.
Economic inequality
Equity has been a stated priority in Illinois government since at least 2019, when Pritzker took office. Yet a 2024 WalletHub study ranked Illinois dead last among states in racial equity, based on eight indicators including poverty, homelessness, labor force participation, homeownership, executive employment, household income and unemployment gaps between Black and white residents.
Conclusion: a record of decline
Pritzker’s stewardship of Illinois offers little evidence that he is prepared to handle the nation’s most urgent challenges. Voters are responding with their feet: a recent Lincoln Poll found more than 50% of Illinois residents would leave the state if they had the means.
The message is clear: Illinoisans are deeply dissatisfied with life under Pritzker. The same could become true for the nation.
