ICYMI: Gov. Pritzker Joins Local Podcasts to Discuss Illinois’ Future and His Values in Public Service

CHICAGO — Governor Pritzker recently joined the podcasts of three local Chicago news stations for extensive conversations focused on the future of Illinois, his approach serving the people of Illinois, the challenges facing working families, and the personal experiences that have shaped his approach to leadership.

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Across the interviews, Governor Pritzker discussed his priorities for Illinois, including affordability, economic opportunity, infrastructure investment, responsible innovation, protecting taxpayers, and ensuring that government delivers meaningful results for residents. He also shared personal reflections on his family, upbringing, friendships, and the values that guide his work as governor.

Delivering Results for Working Families

Governor Pritzker said Illinois residents are looking for leaders who focus on the issues affecting their daily lives, including the cost of housing, transportation, groceries, insurance, and education. He pointed to his administration’s efforts to strengthen Illinois’ economy and support working families, including raising the state minimum wage to $15 per hour, investing in roads and bridges, improving infrastructure, expanding economic opportunity, and pursuing policies designed to reduce costs for residents.

Pritzker to NBC 5: “The most important thing candidates can do is put forward an agenda that addresses the challenges that people are facing. Leadership should focus on issues families experience at the kitchen table.”

Protecting Taxpayers While Supporting Economic Growth

The Governor addressed the Chicago Bears and reiterated his commitment to keeping the team and their stadium in Illinois -- while protecting taxpayers.

Governor Pritzker said the state can support infrastructure improvements connected to economic development projects, such as roads and utilities, but taxpayers should not be responsible for building a privately owned stadium.

Pritzker to ABC 7: “We as the Bears fans have put the equity into that team. We’re the ones who’ve been the fans all the years. We created the Chicago Bears by being the loyal fans, the passionate fans that we are. They ought to be in the City of Chicago, or they ought to be in the State of Illinois. They, I think, owe that to us.”

Pritzker to FOX 32: “I really have one North Star when I think about fighting to keep the Bears here, and that’s about protecting the taxpayers of Illinois...Our job is to certainly help a business like the Chicago Bears stay in Illinois. We want to build infrastructure, roads and utilities that they need for something like a stadium, but it’s not our job to build their facility for them. They need to do that themselves.”

Pritzker to NBC 5: “If there is something the Bears want and want to advocate for, they’ve got to be reasonably clear, but again, they have changed their minds about where they want to do it. What they would like is to negotiate property taxes with the locals – whether it’s the City of Chicago or Arlington Heights – so that’s one piece of what they want. The other is they would like some help with infrastructure. I think those are two very understandable things that they’ve asked for. That’s why I think there is a deal to be made, but again, the Bears have to be clear about where they are going to build...Remember the Bears bought a piece of property in Arlington Heights years ago, so they just have to be really clear about what they want, and then I think the legislature can get to work.”

Responsible Innovation

Governor Pritzker discussed the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and the rapid growth of data centers. He encourages innovation in Illinois while establishing appropriate safeguards to protect consumers, ensure transparency, and promote responsible development.

Pritzker to NBC 5: “I think we need to maintain the time-out until we have a set of guardrails put in place for data centers. Indeed, there was a proposal called the Power Act, which went before the legislature but did not get through this last session, but as I've said many times, sometimes it takes more than one session to get the right things done. So, I put a pause on data center tax rates so that we could get to November or to January, and make sure that we're, for example, making the data centers bring their own power, make sure they've got closed loop water, so that it's recycled, and then using our fresh water, which is such a valuable commodity, especially that we control, you know, we are on the shores of literally 80% of the United States fresh water. We either have it in the lakes, or we've got it in our rivers or in aquifers underneath the state. We need to protect that we need to make sure we protect consumers from having their electric bills go up because of data centers and their water bills drop.”

Family and Resilience

Governor Pritzker also shared a more personal perspective on the experiences that have influenced his values and approach to leadership focused on creating opportunity, protecting vulnerable residents, and advancing policies rooted in fairness and economic opportunity.

Pritzker to ABC 7: “She was special, she really was, and I’m very proud of my mother. She was one of the smartest people you'd ever meet, and somebody who cared deeply about fighting for people's rights. Even as she was struggling with these other things in her life -- here she was fighting for other people, not just for our family, but for the broader community. I really admire that, and that's something that I've tried to emulate as a public person...I always think of her when there's an opportunity for me to stand up for people to fight for people, especially the most vulnerable, and of course for people who are suffering from addiction or suffering from mental health issues, or just need someone who will stand in the way of forces that are trying to overtake vulnerable people. So, I feel proud. I think about my mother really almost every day.”

A Deep (Dish) Love for Illinois and *Only* Mustard on Hotdogs

Throughout the interviews, Governor Pritzker highlighted his pride in Illinois and the people who call our state home, describing Illinois residents as kind, dedicated, and deeply connected to their communities. He reiterated that his focus remains on serving Illinois residents and continuing his work on affordability, healthcare access, workers’ rights, economic opportunity, and protecting communities. He said Illinois’ future depends on investing in people, strengthening communities, encouraging innovation, and ensuring government remains focused on improving quality of life.

Pritzker to FOX 32: “Can we be clear in case you were going to ask me? No ketchup on a hotdog. No ketchup. Ever.”

Pritzker to NBC 5: “If you’re not making people’s lives better, if you’re not making life more affordable, you’re not making it easier to send your kids to school, to pay your mortgage, to pay your rent, to pay your homeowner’s insurance...if you’re not making life easier, that’s not an agenda that’s going to work. You should always be enriching the people you represent and the people that elected you.”

Pritzker to FOX 32: “The ability of people to get together and do something that they think is going to make a difference…gives me a lot of hope.”

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