Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker took a stage commanded by past presidential hopefuls Sunday and implored Democrats to forcefully resist the Trump administration while panning leaders in his own party for having acted too timid for too long.
As Pritzker denounced President Donald Trump in a speech to New Hampshire Democrats, he also accused Democratic politicians of embracing a “culture of incrementalism” that has led the party to be run over by Republicans, who are implementing an agenda that is counter to the left’s value system.
“It’s time to fight, everywhere, all at once,” Pritzker said. “Let’s start with something that should be easy to say: It’s wrong to snatch a person off the street and ship them to a foreign gulag with no chance to defend themselves in a court of law.”
Cheers rang out in the audience at that comment at the annual McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club state party dinner, which brought in the largest crowd New Hampshire Democrats have seen since 2020, organizers said — more than 800 people. The presidential race is three years away, but animated Democrats who jumped to their feet several times Sunday signaled a hunger to hear about challenging the Trump White House.
It was the first event in a historic early presidential primary state to host a potential 2028 presidential candidate — and in Pritzker, it featured a politician who has thrown down an early marker on how best to challenge Trump and the GOP, as different Democrats seek out different lanes in the early days before the next national election.
In an interview, Pritzker batted away the notion that he’s considering running for president, saying he has yet to decide whether he will seek a third term as governor in Illinois.