**Remarks as Prepared for Delivery**
CHICAGO, IL — Governor JB Pritzker attended the 2026 Democratic Party of Illinois Annual Gala at the Aon Grand Ballroom on Chicago’s Navy Pier, along with keynote speaker Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez, and Democratic leaders across the state.
In his remarks, Gov. Pritzker reflected on his years as governor, underscored the stakes of the upcoming election, and vowed to keep fighting for Illinois families.
AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
GOVERNOR JB PRITZKER’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF ILLINOIS GALA REMARKS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2026
How about another round of applause for our great Chair Lisa Hernandez?
And thanks to all of our Democratic elected officials here who are fighting like hell for working people.
I’ve had a lot of jobs in my life. But there’s no job I’ve been more honored to hold than that of governor.
Somewhere along the way, I seem to have picked up a few new habits. The best one is that I take a long walk every single day. Walking forces me to literally touch grass. What’s great is that when people see me, they just say, “Hey JB.” Not, “Hello Governor.” They chat with me like a neighbor, because… that’s what I am.
That’s important because somehow over this last decade of American politics, we seem to have lost the connection that once held our country together — the expectation that even if we disagree, we owe each other at least a little kindness and compassion. These days computer screens have become weapons of cruelty, and the only respite is talking to people in person, face to face, which I love.
Spending time with Illinoisans from every region and of every political stripe has helped me develop another important habit. I don’t sugarcoat the truth. Because no matter how difficult the truth is to hear, it’s so much better than being lied to. But right now, in this country, we are being lied to every single day.
So, here’s some straight talk, plain and simple.
The people of our state and our nation are under siege. Not by immigrants. Not by protesters. Not by the deep state. Not by the press. Not by Canada or Mexico or Greenland. Not by antifa or Jewish space lasers or Pride parades.
No. We are under siege by a petty, corrupt man in Washington, who ran for president because he wanted to live in a palace and get rich. We are under siege by the skilled sycophants who surround the president and use his base desires as cover for their own destructive agendas. We are under siege by the many, many Republican candidates and officeholders who are either too infatuated or too frightened to disagree with Donald Trump.
Republicans like Darren Bailey.
You can be a lot of things and still be an effective governor, but one thing you cannot be is a coward. Yet Darren Bailey and the Illinois GOP would have you believe that you can be governor of our great state without confronting any of the damage Donald Trump has done to our economy and our democracy.
My fellow Democrats, because of Donald Trump’s failures, we’ve had to prepare our hospitals to treat people for the deadly infections from eating ordinary lettuce or blueberries off a grocery shelf. Our state health department has seen an extraordinary number of measles cases. I have to monitor the movements of ICE agents who couldn’t pass a background check to work in an animal shelter. I have to find money we don’t have to fight problems that didn’t exist before Donald Trump.
And then there’s the misinformation spewing from the mouths of Trump and his MAGA minions. Trump thinks Canada is our enemy and Russia is our friend and wars about oil are good for us.
Then there’s Darren Bailey who, would have you believe that men and dinosaurs walked the Earth at the same time. And that “slaveholders treated their slaves well.” And that women in the workforce are bad for America.
In contrast, Illinois Democrats believe in real science and actual history.
We believe families deserve higher wages and lower costs. Healthcare for all. The best public education in the nation. And we deserve a governor and legislators who find a way to make things better no matter what challenges Republicans create for working families. Apparently, it’s always our job as Democrats to clean up Republican messes.
Ten years ago, a Republican governor had made Illinois a national punchline. But since we Democrats got control of state government, we’ve balanced the budget every year and gotten 12 credit upgrades, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions in interest payments. We raised the minimum wage for 1.4 million Illinoisans. We guaranteed universal paid leave for our workers and lowered taxes on families with kids. We added more teachers and made class sizes smaller, and Illinois schools are now ranked 5th best in the nation. We invested in public safety, mental healthcare, and substance use treatment, and now have lower violent crime rates and fewer overdoses. We attracted new companies and jobs to Illinois, and we have more people working than ever before. We became a fortress and a beacon of freedom — protecting reproductive rights, workers’ rights, and voting rights.
We have more work to do. And Christian Mitchell and I have a bold vision to confront a world where change is accelerating.
We need to be willing to reimagine the old social contract because — frankly — it’s broken. People are working harder and harder and getting further and further behind. And hoping that corporate tycoons and tech billionaires will find their better angels and help mend the society they’re breaking is not a strategy — it’s an empty slogan.
We Democrats have to re-center the conversation on the everyday Americans who today are getting up every morning and try their best to make do with what they have — who are holding it together with duct tape and string. And who are asking their leaders to honestly confront one fundamental question: Is life really just about getting up, going to work and grinding it out until you die? Or do we owe each other something better — something more?
Democrats can deliver something better. And we are willing to fight like hell to get it. We must be willing to wield the truth like a weapon — to confront the people in our party who are too feckless to fight, and to defeat the people in the Republican Party who are too cruel to lead.
My fellow Democrats, I’m going to keep getting up every morning and taking my walks. I’m going to keep loving this job and the people of this great state. And I am going to keep fighting alongside you — for kindness and compassion — for courage and truth. For you and your family and your friends and our future.
So I have just one question for you, Democrats — I have asked you before, and I will ask you again — are you ready for the fight?
No really — are you ready for the fight?
Our keynote speaker tonight is a combat veteran who led soldiers in Afghanistan, a nonprofit leader who led a fight against poverty, and a governor who has successfully led his state through these uncertain and turbulent times.
Illinois Democrats, it is my honor to introduce a man who unabashedly demolished a “Wiener’s Circle char dog with the works” along with a shot of Malört, my good friend and the great governor of Maryland: Wes Moore!
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CONTACT: press@jbpritzkercampaign.com