Harris makes VP pick — it's Tim Walz and not Pritzker

Viewed by many as a dark horse candidate, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has not been selected to serve as Kamala Harris’ running mate.

Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate on Tuesday. Elected to Congress in 2007, he has served as the governor of Minnesota since 2019.

The chair of the Democratic Governors Association and a military veteran, Walz gained attention last month in stumping for Harris and labeling the Republican ticket “just weird.” Democrats have been using the attack line ever since, including Pritzker.

The selection is seen as a way of boosting Harris' support in the Midwest, as she fights for battleground states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear rounded out the field of six finalists vetted by Harris’ team last week under an accelerated schedule.

The vetting was led by former Attorney General Eric Holder and Dana Remus, a former White House counsel for President Joe Biden. Remus also serves as an outside legal counsel for the Harris campaign.

The Sun-Times first reported Pritzker was called by the Harris campaign on July 24 and asked if he was interested in being considered for the role. He then underwent extensive video interviews on July 29 and 31, as well as a final video interview on Aug. 2.

Despite reports that all six finalists would be interviewed in person in the final weekend ahead of the selection, Pritzker did not have an in-person interview.

Following Harris' announcement, Pritzker released a statement calling Walz "a proven leader who brings to public service the big heart and hard work of a Midwesterner. His unwavering commitment to improving the lives of working families and to lifting up the most vulnerable is why I'm so excited he will be the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President... Vice President Kamala Harris once again has proven her leadership by choosing someone our party and the nation can be proud of."

As part of the intensive vetting process, Pritzker’s team submitted answers to a lengthy questionnaire, and they were also asked to submit everything from press releases to extensive financial information.

Pritzker’s history of self-funding campaigns would have helped Harris fill in any fundraising gaps, although so far, Harris has raised more than $310 million, the biggest haul of the 2024 election cycle.

Since kicking off his first gubernatorial campaign in 2017, Pritzker, the billionaire heir to the Hyatt fortune, has poured $323 million directly into his two campaigns. Another $27 million was given to the Democratic Governors Association in 2022, to help pay for ads that helped him boost his more conservative challenger, Darren Bailey, whom he considered to be a weaker candidate.

Pritzker’s finances came under scrutiny during his 2018 campaign. He maintained that all offshore holdings under his name were created by his grandfather and were used for charitable disbursements. And amid reports that shell companies were recently created with offshore accounts, his campaign said any distributions made from the family’s trusts were directed to charity and Pritzker never received a personal disbursement from any trust located offshore.

He also also poured millions into Think Big America, the tax-exempt non profit advocacy group he created last year to combat anti-abortion initiatives in red states.

In 2017, the Sun-Times reported that Pritzker bought a historic mansion next door to his own in the city’s Gold Coast neighborhood, let it fall into disrepair — and then argued it was “uninhabitable” to win nearly $230,000 in property tax breaks.

In 2018, Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard recommended in a confidential report that Pritzker received more than $330,000 in tax breaks, in part by removing the toilets. Blanchard called it a “scheme to defraud” and recommended Pritzker pay back the money.

Voters nevertheless opted for Pritzker over former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, the one-term governor who oversaw Illinois government during a nearly three-year budget impasse that decimated the state’s finances.

Pritzker in 2022 defeated Bailey by 13 points. The Associated Press called the race within a minute of polls closing.

Pritzker has attacked former President Donald Trump’s policies since his first gubernatorial campaign, and in 2020 took to national airwaves to frequently criticize Trump’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The governor in April 2020 accused Trump of “fomenting some violence” and stirring up protests that would lead to more deaths, as Trump urged states to liberate themselves from the stay-at-home order meant to stop the deadly virus. Pritzker has remained a strong Trump critic ever since.

The governor also led efforts, along with former Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, to bring the Democratic National Convention to Chicago. Pritzker is likely to have a speaking role at the convention, which begins Aug. 19.

Pritzker has presidential aspirations, although a Harris win in November would mean he would have to wait a bit longer to launch a full-fledged presidential campaign. It’s unclear whether he plans to run for governor for a third time in 2026. There are no term limits for governors in Illinois.