Pritzker Launches $20m Pre-midterms Pac

CHICAGO — A new political action committee chaired by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker plans to invest at least $20 million aimed at boosting Democratic House candidates for the midterms while also expanding his national political footprint ahead of a potential 2028 presidential run.

The “Ready for the Fight” PAC — evoking a phrase Pritzker uses to close his political speeches — will focus on what the governor says are overlooked races, as well as a few competitive contests, according to Pritzker’s team.

The PAC plans to reserve air time against the embattled Rep. Max Miller in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District and Brandon Herrera, a Republican candidate in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. Both are running in Republican-leaning districts, but Pritzker sees an opening, arguing they’re weak candidates facing a Democrat-friendly national climate.

“Democrats must think big and take the fight to every corner to support candidates in often-overlooked races,” Pritzker said, according to a press release POLITICO obtained first.

In recent years, Pritzker has emerged as one of President Donald Trump’s most pugnacious critics, using his national profile to challenge Trump on the president’s immigration policies, tax cuts and what he says are the president’s threats to democracy.

The Ready for The Fight PAC marks Pritzker’s latest move from Illinois governor to national Democratic figure. He is one of the country's wealthiest elected officials and has increasingly used his fortune and campaign apparatus to position himself as a Democratic counterweight to Trump. Pritzker also supports the Think Big America nonprofit that started as a group advocating for reproductive rights and has expanded to issues related to working families.

Pritzker, who just wrapped up a statewide bus tour for his gubernatorial campaign — complete with images of him speaking alongside a U.S. flag rather than an Illinois flag — is expected to win a third term in November in deep-blue Illinois. He is also widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender. Creating a PAC that invests in candidates beyond his home state can help build relationships, generate goodwill and accumulate political capital that could prove valuable in a future White House bid.

Others who have created PACs to help candidates in other states include California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Campaign for Democracy PAC, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and his In This Together PAC and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her Fight Like Hell PAC.