CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate, said he has not received any vetting materials for the position.
Asked Tuesday morning on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” whether he would be interested in the job, Pritzker pivoted. “I love being governor of the state of Illinois and I’ve been on the campaign trail fighting hard for Democrats to win,” he said, mentioning his visits to Indiana and Ohio and the states he’ll be heading to next: Tennessee and Arizona. “It’s important to me that we win across the board and across the United States. So I’m going to continue to do that. And I’m very interested in making sure that Kamala Harris becomes the next president of the United States.”
Harris, who is on track to win the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he is withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race, is expected to name her candidate in the near future. Several names have been floated, including Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), as well as Govs. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, among others.
Pritzker was also mentioned as a possible presidential candidate before Biden dropped out. Pritzker, a wealthy businessman before becoming governor whose family founded the Hyatt hotel chain, could have funded a campaign on his own. On Monday, he endorsed Harris after having numerous calls with Democratic Party insiders.
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz also appeared on “Morning Joe” on Tuesday, but he wasn’t asked if Harris’ team is evaluating him or if he’s interested in being her running mate. Instead, he went on the offensive against Harris’ opponents.
“There is anguish (in the United States) because robber barons like JD Vance and Donald Trump destroyed the Midwest,” he said.
Andrew Howard contributed to this story.
