CHICAGO (CBS) — It’s official. Putting an end to months of speculation, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Monday he is running for re-election, unveiling a campaign ad touting his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois.
“From the beginning, JB Pritzker knew we faced a serious threat,” the video’s narrator says.
The three-minute campaign ad shows snippets of Pritzker speaking COVID briefings, and highlights the state’s efforts to get people vaccinated.
The video juxtaposes the first-term Democrat’s handling of the pandemic against former President Donald Trump’s much-maligned response to COVID-19.
“In Washington, science took a back seat to politics, but in Illinois we knew the stakes were too high,” the narrator says.
Big news: I’m running for re-election.
We’ve been through a lot, and I’ve been so proud to see Illinoisans come together during the toughest of times. I’m excited to fight for the state I love with @JulianaforLG, and there’s no limit to what we can do going forward. pic.twitter.com/r5UXILlrb3
— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) July 19, 2021
The ad also features the slogan “Strong Leadership In Tough Times.”
“When I ran for governor four years ago, I could not have imagined that I would end up leading the state through a global pandemic,” Pritzker says in the video. “I may not have gotten every decision right, but at every step along the way, I followed the science, and focused on protecting the lives and livelihoods of the people of Illinois.”
Pritzker’s announcement is hardly a surprise. While he’s been cagey in recent months when asked whether he planned to run for a second term, in March the billionaire donated $35 million to his campaign fund.
Illinois State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), who unsuccessfully sued to block some of Pritzker’s COVID-19 restrictions last year, is among four Republicans who have announced they plan to run for governor in 2022.
Former Illinois State Sen. Paul Schimpf, Illinois Army veteran and former police officer Christopher Roper, and businessman Gary Rabine also are running.