JB Pritzker

JB Pritzker
Official portrait, 2026
43rd Governor of Illinois
Assumed office
January 14, 2019
LieutenantJuliana Stratton
Christian Mitchell (elect)
Preceded byBruce Rauner
Chair of the Illinois Human Rights Commission
In office
April 1, 2003 – July 26, 2006
GovernorRod Blagojevich
Preceded byRose Jennings
Succeeded byAbner Mikva
Personal details
Born
Jay Robert Pritzker

(1965-01-19) January 19, 1965 (age 61)
Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
M. K. Muenster
​
(m. 1993)​
Children2
ParentsDonald Pritzker (father)
RelativesPritzker family
EducationDuke University (BA)
Northwestern University (JD)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • businessman
Signature
J. B. Pritzker's voice
J. B. Pritzker on the economy of Illinois
Recorded March 2, 2022

Jay Robert Pritzker (born January 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 43rd governor of Illinois since 2019.

Pritzker was managing partner and co-founder of the Pritzker Group, a private investment firm that operates middle-market service and industrial companies and invests in digital technology companies. He has a net worth of around $3.4 billion. This makes Pritzker the richest governor in the United States.

He became the Democratic nominee for governor in the 2018 election after winning the primary election. He defeated Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner in the election on and took office on January 14, 2019. Pritzker was reelected in 2022.

Early life

Pritzker was born in Palo Alto, California and raised in Atherton, California. He is a member of the Pritzker family. His older sister is Penny Pritzker, the former U.S secretary of Commerce. He studied at Milton Academy and graduated from Duke University. In 1993, he earned his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University.

Governor of Illinois

On April 6, 2017, Pritzker announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for governor of Illinois. He was supported by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, Illinois Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, former Illinois Congressman Glenn Poshard, more than a dozen members of the Illinois General Assembly, 21 local labor unions, and the Illinois AFL–CIO.

On August 10, 2017, Pritzker announced that his running mate would be State Representative Juliana Stratton. Pritzker had spent $42 million of his own money on his campaign without receiving funding from any other source. On March 20, 2018, he won the Democratic primary by a large margin, receiving 45.13% of the vote and defeating five opponents. On November 6, 2018, Pritzker beat incumbent Republican governor Bruce Rauner in the general election, receiving 54.53% of the vote to Rauner's 38.83%.

Pritzker was inaugurated as Illinois's 43rd governor on January 14, 2019. With an estimated net worth of $3.6 billion in January 2019, he became the richest politician in the U.S. He won the June 28 Democratic primary and defeated Republican nominee Darren Bailey in the November 8 general election, 54.91% to 42.37%. Pritzker's re-election victory had the highest vote share for any Democratic governor in more than 60 years. His second term in office began on January 9, 2023.

National politics

In 2023, Pritzker did not want to speak with U.S. Representative Dean Phillips about his plans to try to convince him to run against President Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential primary.

In 2024, Pritzker was mentioned as a possible running mate for Kamala Harris in her 2024 presidential campaign, but Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was chosen instead. Harris lost the general election.

Cannabis legalization and the 2018 gubernatorial campaign

During the 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election, J. B. Pritzker made the statewide legalization of recreational cannabis a prominent part of his campaign platform. He argued that legalization would generate tax revenue, create economic opportunities, and address criminal justice issues associated with marijuana convictions. During the campaign, Pritzker estimated that taxing recreational cannabis could generate as much as $700 million annually for the state.

Pritzker also linked legalization to criminal justice reform and economic equity, supporting the expungement of eligible marijuana-related criminal records and greater opportunities for minority-owned businesses in the legal cannabis industry. The issue distinguished him from Republican incumbent Bruce Rauner, and from Democratic primary opponent Chris Kennedy, who called for further study of the proposal.

After taking office, Pritzker signed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act on June 25, 2019. The law legalized adult-use cannabis in Illinois beginning January 1, 2020, making Illinois the first state to legalize recreational cannabis through legislation rather than a voter-approved ballot initiative.

Medical and recreational cannabis taxation

Illinois taxes medical and recreational cannabis differently. Medical cannabis generally qualifies for a 1% state sales tax, while recreational cannabis is subject to a 6.25% state sales tax, local taxes, and additional excise taxes. In 2026, state legislation changed how the medical cannabis cultivation tax is calculated, but the Illinois Department of Revenue continues to list the existing recreational cannabis excise-tax rates. No announced proposal to reduce the statewide recreational cannabis excise-tax rates has been identified in the cited sources.

Between 2021 and 2022, the Pritzker administration issued 185 conditional adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses through social equity lotteries. By September 2026, Illinois had 288 operating adult-use dispensaries statewide, including 178 originating from social equity lotteries.

Personal life

In 1993, Pritzker married Mary Kathryn "M. K." Muenster, whom he had met in Washington, D.C., when she worked as an aide to U.S. Senator Tom Daschle. She is one of three children of Theodore and Karen Muenster. Her father unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 1990. They live in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood with their two children. They also reside in the Illinois Governor's Mansion in Springfield.

According to Forbes, in 2024 Pritzker had a net worth of $3.7 billion.

In September 2026, it was revealed that Pritzker was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and was told that he would have to take insulin for the rest of his life.

References

  1. 1 2 Slevin, Peter (2023-10-18). "The Billionaire Hotel Heir—and Progressive Hero?". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  2. ↑ "Illinois election results: JB Pritzker wins 2nd governor term, defeating Darren Bailey". ABC7 Chicago. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  3. ↑ Pearson, Rick (April 6, 2017). "J.B. Pritzker joins Illinois governor race, facing big Democratic field to take on Rauner". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  4. ↑ Pearson, Rick; Garcia, Monique (June 6, 2017). "Illinois labor group endorses Pritzker, cementing Democratic front-runner status". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  5. ↑ Pearson, Rick (August 10, 2017). "Pritzker announces state Rep. Stratton as running mate". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  6. ↑ McDermott, Kevin (January 11, 2018). "'Moneyball' : The 2018 Illinois Governor's Race". NPR Illinois. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Election Results". elections.il.gov. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  8. ↑ Schutz, Paris (November 6, 2018). "J.B. Pritzker Defeats Gov. Bruce Rauner in Race for Illinois Governor". WTTW News.
  9. ↑ Riopell, Mike (January 14, 2019). "J. B. Pritzker sworn in as Illinois' 43rd Governor, replacing Bruce Rauner". Chicago Tribune.
  10. ↑ "The World's Billionaires – Jay Robert (J.B.) Pritzker". Forbes. June 3, 2019. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Here are the key primary election results from Illinois". NPR. June 28, 2022. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Pritzker scores double-digit win over Bailey — vowing MAGA right wingers 'will never get an inch of Illinois'". Chicago Sun-Times. November 9, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Pritzker tops the charts". Politico. 6 December 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Governor JB Pritzker". Illinois.gov. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  15. ↑ "From free college to universal preschool, Pritzker pledges second-term 'agenda as ambitious and bold as our people are'". Chicago Sun-Times. 2023-01-09. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  16. ↑ Hall, Madison (October 31, 2023). "A congressman tried to get the governors of Michigan and Illinois to run against Biden in the Democratic primary, but they wouldn't directly take his calls". Business Insider. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  17. ↑ Alberta, Tim (October 27, 2023). "Dean Phillips Has a Warning for Democrats". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Harris campaign has met with 6 potential VP picks as the selection process nears its end". NBC News. August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  19. ↑ Kapos, Shia (5 August 2024). "What if Pritzker becomes VP?". Politico. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  20. ↑ Petrella, Dan; Olander, Olivia (1 August 2024). "Gov. J.B. Pritzker interviewed twice for Kamala Harris VP slot, source says". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  21. ↑ Brown, Mark (January 22, 2018). "Pritzker betting the pot on legalizing marijuana in governor's race". Chicago Sun-Times.
  22. ↑ Brown, Mark (January 22, 2018). "Pritzker betting the pot on legalizing marijuana in governor's race". Chicago Sun-Times.
  23. ↑ "Cannabis Taxes". Illinois Department of Revenue.
  24. ↑ "Gov. Pritzker Announces Lottery Dates for 185 Cannabis Dispensary Licenses". Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. July 15, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Pritzker Administration Issues Third Wave of Conditional Adult Use Cannabis Dispensary Licenses". State of Illinois. August 12, 2022.
  26. ↑ Kogan, Rick (May 24, 1998). "The Long Run – After His First Date With Politics, J.b. Pritzker Is Ready To Make A Commitment". Chicago Tribune. p. 3. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  27. ↑ Lias, David (May 16, 2009). "New USD Student Center Officially Dedicated". Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  28. ↑ Ahern, Mary Ann (March 1, 2018). "How Many Homes Do the Candidates for Illinois Governor Own?". NBC Chicago. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Forbe's World's Billionaires List The Richest in 2024". Forbe's.com. 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  30. ↑ Sfondeles, Tina (2026-09-21). "Gov. Pritzker opens up about his 80-pound weight loss, use of GLP-1 — 'I think it's what I need to succeed'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2026-09-22.

Other websites

Media related to J.B. Pritzker at Wikimedia Commons Quotations related to JB Pritzker at Wikiquote