Illinois Gov. J.B. Pretzker stepped into a ballroom filled with top Democrats in New Hampshire on Sunday, and by the end of his nearly 30-minute speech, he was ready to raid a political barricade against President Trump.
“Now is the time to fight anywhere at once,” he told a group of democratic activists, officials and donors. “In my life, I have not called for anything to date because of massive protests, mobilization, or confusion. But I am now. These Republicans can't know the moment of peace.”
“The calculations are finally here,” he declared.
Of course, not just for the Trump administration, but for his own party.
In the fight for the Democratic future, Pretzker emerged as a rebel leader seeking a barrage of boring attacks on Trump, his Republican allies, and their right-wing agenda.
His speech has been a call for more aggressive and inclusive action than perhaps the leading liberal figure since Trump took office, regaining only the screaming cry from Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. But unlike them, Pritzker set the address for his STEM winding in a state that has a century of retention in the country's first presidential primary – an impressive statement of its own.
Of course, Pretzker rejected the proposal that his appearance on Sunday night in Manchester, New Hampshire, represents the opening bell for the 2028 Democratic primary race. He said the focus will be on supporting the party's efforts in next year's midterm elections.
But his appearance could spark more speculation. Pretzker wears a triple crown to Democratic politics. At the same time, he was one of the party's most prominent elected officials and the most generous donor, and spoke about the president's outlook for 2028.
“I'm one of the people leading the fight, and that's my role,” he said in an interview before his speech. “We've done so many things in Illinois, and we can do those things in other states.”
Other governors attempted a Hamhand to settle with Trump, but Pretzker transformed his state into a breakwater against cracking down on administrations against immigration, cutting back to federal government and tariffs from other countries.
He did so as Congressional Democrats, including Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, a minority leader, urged them to choose their party in attacks on the president so they wouldn't alienate the independent voters who supported him. In contrast, Pretzker hopes his party will adopt a zero accommodation stance.
“The key disparities within the Democrats aren't between the left and right. Do you think this is a constitutional crisis or whether you think this is politics,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder of a progressive activist group. “Pritzker really shows what it looks like to lead the opposition against the federal government's over-relief authority.”
In recent months, Pretzker has preached the gospel of solid resistance against some of the nation's most enthusiastic democratic activists, giving keynote speeches at the annual gala of the Austin, Illinois party fundraiser and Los Angeles Human Rights Campaign. Next month he will speak at a fundraising dinner in Detroit for the Michigan Democrats.
In his speech in New Hampshire, he criticized the Democrats for warning the party that it was “not bold, not ti-ill” about the perceived over-transfer.
“For too long, we've been guilty of hearing a bundle of political kinds that America's homes aren't burning, despite the flames licking their faces,” he said. “Today, when the flames reach the rafters, critics and politicians — such easing served as arsonists' Kindle — now urges them not to reach for the hose.”
His target has become unknown, but there are obvious candidates. California Gov. Gavin Newsom hosts a podcast featuring MAGA movement stars and James Kerrville, a Democratic strategist who advocated “strategic political hideaway” until Trump's approval rating fell.
“Democrats who don't have the same thing want to condemn our losses to the defense of black and trans children and immigrants,” Pretzker said.
His comments reflect how Democrats are currently splitting the scope of Trump and his agenda, not primarily healthcare or other policy issues.
While some party donors and consultants are urging moderation, Pretzker is taking advantage of the Democratic base's fight and visceral desire for leaders.
“Voters didn't become Democrats last November, not because they don't want us to fight for our values, but because we don't want to fight for our values,” he said in his speech. “We need to knock off the rust of the language that was voted on, the rust of decades of old ornamental decorative disease. It obscures our better instincts.”
Neela Tanden, president of the left-leaning think tank, is the center for American progress and a longtime fixture in Democratic politics, predicting that these early months of the Trump administration could echo the major contests of 2028. Voters will not forget how the presidential candidate acted, she said.
“People will remember how Democrats acted at this moment,” said Tanden, the group that hosted this year's Pretzker. “What did the Democrats do in the moment when Trump was scariest? Did they roll over? Did they infiltrate right-wing people or something?
Pretzker, the heir to the Hyatt Hotel's property with a net worth estimated at around $3.5 billion, is one of the wealthiest elected officials in the country.
In 2018 he transformed from a longtime donor, the leading donor of Hillary Clinton's two presidential elections, into a formidable politician in itself. He self-funds two campaigns for the governor, spreads wealth and supports the governor and the national parties on the battlefield, particularly the state parties in Wisconsin.
In 2023, as he expanded his political brand, Pretzker established a political action committee called Think Big America to help vote in multi-million dollar voting measures to enforce abortion rights into state law.
Even before President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s tragic debate performance last year, Pretzker was spoken as a Democratic candidate, “Blake Glass.”
Instead, he approved Vice President Kamala Harris and threw a fun convention in Chicago to his party.
Unlike 2024, the 2028 Democrats' primary contest is expected to be crowded and widespread, and does not respect seniority or political experience. As early jockeys proceed quietly, some Democrats believe that Pretzker could become a fierce competitor in his billions and his deep party ties.
But first, he faces a third term 2026 campaign as governor of Illinois. He has no official commitment, but is widely expected to run for reelection. His strength of political power has also been tested in Illinois Senate race, where he supports the lieutenant governor.
People close to the governor say his current move is driven not by his desire to set himself in the best position in 2028, but by his sincere belief that Trump poses a disastrous threat to American democracy and the world order.
“I don't think he's building a persona around this,” said Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, a friend of Pretzker, a Democratic vice presidential candidate last year. “I think JB feels very strongly about it for some of the more authoritarian trends, and I think he can morally blame it.
Unlike other Democrats who mourned after the election, Pretzker was ready to fight Trump right away. According to those who were explained about the discussion, Virginia's intriguing results began to roll over to cable news networks early on election night, so he moved into combat mode for what was called Trump 2.0.
Two days after the election, Pretzker told reporters that his administration was “not ready” for Trump's victory. The plan began several months ago as his state stockpiled abortion drugs and prepared to sues the federal government.
And he issued a warning: “You come for my people, and you will pass through me.”
The aides and advisors trace Mr. Pretzker's work into his family history and Jewish faith. His ancestors fled the Pogrom in Ukraine to make fortune in the United States. He led a campaign to build the Illinois Holocaust Museum, evoking Nazi monsters over the years and explaining Trump.
“What we're looking at now is Germany in the 1930s. The only way to stop it from happening is to get very loud about pushbacks,” said Anne Kaplala, Pretzker's longtime chief of staff. “That's what motivates him to do everything he's doing now.”
