Billionaire Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker would not fully self-finance a 2028 run

FIRST ON NBC NEWS2028 election2028 electionBillionaire Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker would not fully self-finance a 2028 run The Illinois governor is still seeking a third term, but preliminary discussions indicate he would look to fundraise if he launches a White House bid, two sources told NBC News.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at the National Action Network Convention in New York, on April 9.Angelina Katsanis / AP fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 1, 2026, 3:59 PM EDTBy Natasha KoreckiIllinois Gov. JB Pritzker may be a billionaire, but should the Democrat run for president in 2028, he would not fully bankroll the bid, NBC News has learned. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Two people involved in discussions around Pritzker strategy said while the governor has not pulled the trigger on a 2028 campaign, he has given early signs that he would not self-finance — at least not entirely. Pritzker has reached out to operatives who have national fundraising experience and internally discussed what digital fundraising might look like, a person with knowledge of the conversations said. For the governor seeking a third term in Illinois, it would be the first time he ever looked to fundraise from donors. He first ran for governor in 2018, leaning on his personal wealth.Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, is a free-spending billionaire, who for years sprinkled millions of dollars across the country to support state parties or back ballot questions on reproductive rights in battleground states. Between his 2018 and 2022 runs for governor, he spent more than $350 million of his own money. Via a super PAC, he also threw $10 million behind Illinois Democratic Senate nominee Juliana Stratton in her primary earlier this year. The sources point to the gargantuan sums now needed to finance a national presidential run. In 2024, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to...