More Illinois Democrats – including Pritzker – endorse Harris for president

[July 23, 2024]  By ANDREW ADAMS
& PETER HANCOCK
[e-mail]

Illinois Democrats, after initially being split on whether to immediately endorse Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid to replace President Joe Biden, began rallying around her on Monday.

Gov. JB Pritzker, along with Illinois’ U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, added their names to the growing list of Democrats backing the vice president one day after Biden announced he would no longer seek reelection. They join all of Illinois’ Democratic U.S. House members in supporting Harris.

Pritzker has frequently been mentioned as a possible fill-in for Biden, especially in recent weeks following Biden’s jarring showing during a debate with former President Donald Trump late last month.

But in a statement Monday morning, Pritzker said he “spent hours yesterday talking to fellow leaders in our Party getting and giving input about the road to victory in November” – including a conversation with Harris.

“Vice President Harris has proven, at every point in her career, that she possesses the skills, strength, and character to lead this country and the vision to better the lives of all Americans,” Pritzker said. “She represents our Party’s best chance to defeat Donald Trump in November, and I will work my heart out to help her do that.”

Pritzker’s endorsement follows those of other Democratic governors whose names have also been floated as possible replacements for Biden on the Democratic ticket, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

All of Illinois’ congressional Democrats have now pledged to support Harris as she vies to clinch the Democratic nomination ahead of the party’s convention in Chicago next month. Five of Illinois’ 14 Democratic representatives called on Biden to drop out prior to Sunday’s announcement.

U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Moline, was among those calling on Biden to drop out and one of the Democrats who did not initially endorse Harris. He instead waited until Monday morning to announce that he was backing the vice president via a post on social media.

“We need a Democratic Presidential nominee who will lead with passion, empathy, and fire,” Sorensen said. “Vice President Kamala Harris is that person.”

Sorensen faces one of the toughest reelection bids in Illinois this November, when he will face off against Republican Joseph McGraw, a retired state judge. The district is on the National Republican Congressional Committee’s list of 37 districts it will try to flip in 2024.

The rush of Monday morning endorsements also included one from Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, one of the highest-ranking Black women in Illinois politics.

“Today, I am dreaming of the future I want my daughters to inherit,” Stratton said. “Kamala Harris is the best person to take us there.”

Illinois’ state party chair and state Rep. Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, also endorsed Harris on Monday after not mentioning her in a Sunday statement.

“The Democratic Party of Illinois is fully committed to mobilizing our communities in support of Kamala Harris,” Hernandez said in her Monday statement. “We recognize the historic significance of her candidacy and profound impact her leadership will have on our state and our country.”

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, also backed Harris on Monday, tying his support to the historic nature of Harris’ candidacy as a woman of color. Welch said there is “no greater celebration of Black excellence” than nominating Harris.

Gov. JB Pritzker (center) and Sen. Dick Durbin (right) are pictured in a file photo with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in 2019. They joined the list of Illinois Democrats lining up behind Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s 2024 nominee after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid. (Capitol News Illinois file photo by Jerry Nowicki)

Many are now watching Chicago as it prepares to host the Democratic National Convention Aug. 19-22.

“Here in Chicago, our mission remains the same,” convention chair Minyon Moore said in a statement. “During the convention, we will have an opportunity to show the country and the world who Democrats are and what we stand for.”

Many of the details of the convention are now up in the air as national Democrats determine, procedurally, how to handle the shift at the top of the ticket.

“In the coming days, the party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward,” Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement. “This process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the party. Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.”

But as far as the ballot goes, Biden’s decision to drop out will have no immediate impact on the ongoing process, according to state election officials, because the names that appear on the ballot won’t be officially determined for several weeks.

Illinois State Board of Elections spokesperson Matt Dietrich said in an interview Monday the names won’t be determined until the Democratic Party formally nominates its candidates at the convention. After that, Dietrich said, it will send those names to state election officials. The Illinois board will meet Aug. 23 to certify those names for the Illinois ballot.

Illinois held what is officially known as a “presidential preference primary” on March 19, and Biden, who faced no serious challenge for the nomination at that time, won that race with 91.5 percent of the vote.

Dietrich noted, however, that in such a primary, voters do not actually cast ballots for a candidate but, rather, for a slate of delegates who pledge their support for a particular candidate. Biden’s decision Sunday to bow out of the race released his delegates from that pledge.

Republicans, meanwhile, have been reacting to the change at the top of the ticket as well, including by branding Harris as Biden’s “border czar,” accusing the party of covering up Biden’s mental decline and questioning his fitness to continue to lead the nation.

“It's been clear that President Biden cannot serve four more years, but serious concerns remain about whether he can fulfill his duty over the next four months,” U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, said in a statement on Sunday. “No matter who the Democrat Party installs in Chicago next month, Americans are not buying the open-border, soft-on-crime, and out-of-touch policies they are selling.”

Capitol News Illinois Hannah Meisel contributed to this story. 

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.