Carol Mosley Braun — a former U.S. senator from Illinois and the first black woman to hold the office — ended a call with newly minted Democratic Senate nominee Julianna Stratton on Wednesday when she reflected on why a win would be “obviously” good for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
“He’s going to have a senator on his side,” Mosley Braun said in an interview with NBC News. “Running for the presidency — different offices, different dynamics involved — but the more senators on your side, the better.”
Mosley Braun said the quiet part out loud.
Officially, Pritzker is seeking a third term as governor of Illinois, clinching his own nomination Tuesday night unopposed and preparing to face off against Republican Darren Bailey.
But the strongest narrative to come out of Tuesday night’s Battery in the Land of Lincoln is how it mirrors Pritzker’s pursuit of the White House.
Stratton’s Senate primary victory over well-financed Rep. Raja Krishnamurthy, who outbid Stratton and aired more television ads, underscored Pritzker’s role as a power player in the state. For Pritzker, Stratton winning the race was essential — and not just because he endorsed her. Stratton served as Pritzker’s lieutenant governor, and while she promoted a new, progressive platform in her Senate campaign, she also ran into the Pritzker-Stratton record.
In the months leading up to Tuesday’s primary, Krishnamurthy was projected as the front-runner in polling and fundraising. Questions swirled about whether Pritzker really had the strategic organization, influence and popularity to land the deal.
“It was a big test for him last night. If he didn’t succeed it would have been a speed bump on his possible entry into the presidential race. Now people don’t question his staying power,” said Jim Durkin, the former Republican leader of the Illinois House.
“There should be no question in anyone’s mind,” Durkin continued, “JB Pritzker is an undisputed powerhouse in Illinois.”
Pritzker, a billionaire, poured at least $5 million into a super PAC backing Stratton as of last disclosure deadline. The group, Illinois Future PAC, spent $14.8 million on ads. Although a substantial sum, it still fell short of Krishnamurthy’s expenditure.
A person involved in Stratton’s reelection effort said it was Pritzker who recognized that Democratic voters wanted to hear from a future leader who was strongly willing to take on President Donald Trump.
“Democratic primary voters are in a different place than pundits and people imagine. We’ve known that from the beginning, and I think JB was the first to recognize that,” said a person involved in Stratton’s re-election effort. “Fighting Trump and standing up for your people is going to be a winning message … That’s what ultimately separates Juliana. We spent a lot. It’s not JB’s money to win this race.”
The Stratton campaign’s first ad featured a series of people saying “F— Trump” and cast a catchphrase for TV.
“It sets him up because he supported a black woman to be our next senator. This is the first time we’ve had two minority senators. It sets him up and plays into the narrative of him running for president,” said Chicago-based Democratic strategist Jaimie Sexton.
Sexton noted that Pritzker’s nature is that he will pull out all the stops to make sure Stratton has the support he needs.
“He’s very competitive about this. The Bears aren’t going to Indiana, they’re going to Arlington Heights. He won’t have any black spots on his record between now and November 25 when he announces he’s running for president,” Sexton said, joking about the inevitability of Pritzker’s presidential announcement.
Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia D-Ill. Stratton on Wednesday praised her for taking progressive positions “especially on Medicare for all, on economic issues like adopting it and raising the federal minimum wage.” Stratton supports a $25-per-hour minimum wage and also stands for the elimination of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She is Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., won major nationalist support Progressives who visited Illinois and held a rally with the lieutenant governor last week.
Garcia noted that Pritzker’s decision to get more involved in the open Senate primary brought “some risk and some friction,” with the race’s third-leading candidate, Rep. Robin Kelly and some members of the Congressional Black Caucus sometimes expressed frustration with Pritzker’s involvement and prominence. Financing Stratton’s candidacy.
Hovering resentment flashed On election night, when Kelly announced to supporters that Stratton had won, chants of “Be well!” While gesturing, in part, to himself.
“It’s hard not to be bought and bossed around — especially in Illinois,” Kelly told his supporters, borrowing a phrase from the late Shirley Chisholm., First black congresswoman. “I can still see myself in the mirror. Robin Kelly has another plan.”
Kelly congratulated Stratton in a post on X the next day and in a text message, and wished him luck in November.
Garcia said Pritzker’s involvement ultimately countered other special interests that entered the race.
“He did what he had to do to help Krishnamurti fight with the huge advantage he had because he had been planning his race for years,” Garcia said. “JB probably had a good sense of the big money potential involved in the race … I think it’s important that he gets involved.”
For his part, Pritzker has repeatedly dismissed questions about whether he has higher aspirations, regularly saying he is focused solely on his job as governor. Still, it’s an open secret that he’s running for the White House, and he’s been widely viewed as a 2028 short-lister for years.
Mosley Braun brushed off the concern If there’s a chance he won’t serve the full four years, running for governor for a third term would be a disservice to Illinois.
“He’s done the work to be a good governor. That’s the first step. You have to do the job you’re in well, and then people will think about you for the campaign,” he said. “He’s certainly earned the right to be a candidate for president, and he’ll do a great job.”
