Gov. Pritzker launches congressional PAC and heads to Texas to rally Democrats as GOP holds Dallas convention

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As Republicans convene a rare midterm national convention in Dallas on Wednesday as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to turn out presidential-year voters, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker is heading to rally Texas Democrats while he launches a new federal political action committee to fund potential pickup targets.

Trump is scheduled to deliver keynote speeches each night of the two-day convention to motivate turnout amid unfavorable voter ratings tied to inflation, the economy and the war in Iran. Pritzker, a vocal Trump critic, is funding “Ready for the Fight” PAC, invoking his traditional rally cry of asking voters if they’re “ready for the fight” in closing out speeches that often feature attacks on the two-term Republican president.

The PAC’s formation is the latest stage of Pritzker’s national outreach, as he considers a potential bid for the White House in 2028. Pritzker, a longtime major Democratic donor even before he was elected governor, previously established Think Big America, a nonprofit advocacy group that has worked in support of abortion rights initiatives.

“This is perhaps the most important year ever for us to elect Democrats to Congress, and that’s what I want to help do because what’s good for the state of Illinois is if we have a Democratic Congress,” said Pritzker, who also is seeking a third term as governor.

“We need the Congress to step up to at least push back on the president of the United States, if not to reach some compromise over the next couple of years, so that we can have funding restored to the states, particularly the state of Illinois,” he said at an unrelated news conference at Illinois State University.

In a news release, the creation of the PAC was announced to help ensure “Democrats competing in districts that Trump won will have the resources and support to fight MAGA candidates who put their fealty to Donald Trump above delivering for the people of their districts.”

Funded with $20 million in startup money from Pritzker, an entrepreneur and a billionaire heir of the Hyatt hotel fortune, PAC officials said it would soon place advertising to combat Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller in Ohio, who is facing an investigation over abuse allegations from his wife, and Texas GOP candidate Brandon Herrera, a controversial social media figure and gun rights advocate.

Pritzker acknowledged the PAC is aiming to help Democratic candidates in districts that have backed Trump but where voters may be taking another look at the state of current affairs.

“I think that the ones that are easier to flip are certainly attracting all the attention and a lot of the resources, and so I wanted to be helpful in these last eight weeks in those districts where I think maybe we can just push people a little bit over the top,” he said.

“They may be in districts … where perhaps because of the national mood and the desire for change will lead to a Democrat getting elected in a district that you might not have otherwise expected,” he said. “But having said that, in districts that are more swingy, we’ll certainly also perhaps play a role wherever we can.”

The PAC’s formation comes as Pritzker is scheduled to be in Dallas to hold a press conference with Texas Democrats ahead of the RNC midterm convention.

In June, Pritzker delivered the keynote speech at the Texas Democratic Party’s state convention. That followed his move in August of last year to welcome 40 Texas Democratic lawmakers to Illinois who fled their home state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass newly drawn congressional maps. The Democrats eventually returned, and Republicans passed their GOP-favorable map.