CHICAGO — The primary election is not until next June, but the race for Illinois governor is now underway.
On Monday, Gov. JB Pritzker announced on Twitter his re-election bid for 2022.
The issue issue the governor is leading with to kick off the campaign is his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In Washington, science took a backseat to politics. But in Illinois, we knew the stakes were too high,” he said in the video.
On Tuesday, Pritzker said he’s keeping an eye on the Delta variant — which is surging among unvaccinated Americans.
“We’re monitoring closely what’s happening with the delta variant,” Gov. Pritzker said. “Missouri is the worst state in the union right now for COVID and it is bleeding over into Southern Illinois and Metro-East.”
Gov. Pritzker said he will consider restrictions again if the virus gets out of hand.
He has faced criticism for the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle VA home where 36 veterans died.
“I grieve for the many families who have lost loved ones,” Pritzker said. “I really believe that we should do the right thing for the families.”
Immediately after Pritzker launched his campaign, Republicans attacked. Congressman Rodney Davis, a possible gubernatorial candidate, tweeted “Pritzker is just another lying failed politician.”
In addition to Davis contemplating a run, so is GOP Congressman Adam Kinzinger.
“Republicans did absolutely nothing to help us save lives or livelihoods during this pandemic. They weren’t in favor the mitigations, they weren’t of the things that we did to keep small businesses open,” Pritzker said.
Back in March, Pritzker, a billionaire, gave his campaign fund $35 million dollars. When asked if he would cap the amount of his personal wealth he’s going spend, Pritzker said he’ll spend whatever it takes to get his message out.