Chicago-When Illinois Governor JB Pritzker endorsed Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton to Senator Dick Durbin’s seat, who is soon, many Democrats took it as a message: Possible candidates must clean the way.
The free spending billionaire not only quickly built a national profile but also an anti-trump force in the Democratic Party, but also has a history of removing millions of dollars to increase democrats and their causes in the battlefield states. He knows how to gather a formidable political infrastructure in the Lincoln Land, as evidenced by two successful campaigns across the state. And as governor of two terms, he accumulated power in the state that replaced a machine of decades that collapsed in a series of federal corruption cases.
But the complicated business of local political entrenches is quickly becoming a factor. Pritzker’s involvement – and questions about its extension – is the subject of the race. Some politicians and strategists are already evaluating how the result may affect the possible ambitions of the White House of Pritzker (a suggestion that the governor’s allies call ridiculous). And they are wondering how much money he is willing to lie on the line.
NBC News has talked to almost about a dozen ex -advisors, political strategists and campaign allies for this piece.
If Stratton’s support for Pritzker has been designed to send a frightening message, so far he has done little to dissuade the formidable democrats to move forward. Two members of the congress, representatives Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi, entered the contest, while Mrs Lauren Underwood is reflecting a release.
Still, an editorial of Chicago Tribune gave the governor a wave of fingers, arguing that even more candidates would be aligned.
“Democrats who could once have assumed that they would get into the fight quickly when Durbin bent can be forgiven for thinking more now about giving up their current positions,” said Chicago Tribune editorial earlier this week. “It is clear that they will have to assume not only a candidate with name recognition throughout the state, but also the Pritzker organization.”
His camp was accused in a NBC Chicago report of trying to prevent Underwood from entering the contest – something the governor called “ridicule,” saying no one should be dissuaded. But the congressman was asked to give an interview to the season she said she would not be intimidated. NBC News did not confirm these allegations independently.
Depending on how Pritzker and his team play their hands, they say strategists in Illinois, the governor may be putting a lot of risk. Leaving as the billionaire by placing the thumb on the balance could only energize the movement toward a progressive candidate.
The game in a Democrat and the loss may reflect badly on his own political prowess or raise doubts about the strength of his registration as governor, as Stratton probably campaign strongly campaign in the record that they built together.
An Illinois Democratic Strategist Veteran involved in numerous state campaigns and Congress argued that a loss to the governor could be debilitating to the Pritzker National Profile, as Stratton would be on his record.
“The danger is that if the message fails, it is probably a flaw for the presidential campaign,” said the strategist, who is not involved in any of the campaigns that compete for the position. “If this race falls, the presidential thing becomes a little beginner.”
The Pritzker camp refused to comment. But their allies call it in particular this absurd thought. They say political experts are reading a lot about the endorsement of a governor of their main lieutenant and that if Stratton loses in a democratic primary, it would not be because of a platform that has been popular among Illinois democrats. In addition, Pritzker could have invited more questions if he had not supported his government partner.
There has been no discussion about what kind of investment Pritzker can do. Krishnamoorthi, however, enters the race with nearly $ 20 million in the bank. But the issue of the governor’s financial investment has also become an early question. Pritzker boosted about $ 350 million in his own money in his two government campaigns. He does not receive money or fundraising.
“This is not an endorsement and a $ 5,000 check,” said Veteran strategist about Potzker’s potential investment in Stratton’s campaign. “The people of Pritzker understand that this is 100% that she is performing her record and, if she doesn’t win, it’s a problem.”
Delmarie Cobb, long -standing Democratic consultant, raised other potential traps for Pritzker. If the governor or his team are seen as depreciating someone in the race, this may go out by the Culatra in Stratton.
“This could force people to look at Juliana in a way they wouldn’t initially have. Why will she be your puppet? She will be independent? Given that we are in this political moment we are, we want fighters in Congress. … We also want to have independent congress fighters,” Cobb said.
A person close to Stratton’s campaign said that the narrative around Pritzker trying to clarify the field is negligible from his own work, which included the defense of those who live in food deserts, range in state rural areas and helping to protect reproductive rights.
Stratton, however, should now forge a different way with fundraising, as Pritzker had self -founded his campaigns in the past.
The person said that the hyperfoco in Pritzker’s endorsement also discredits the strong release of his campaign, which he launched a day after Durbin announced that he would retire.
Pritzker’s endorsement followed in a short time, as was the senior senator of Illinois, Tammy Duckworth. On Wednesday, an ex -senator of Illinois and the first Afro -American woman elected to the Senate, Carol Moseley Braun, announced that she also supported Stratton.
“Playing her heart to be loyal to her lieutenant governor, who happens to be an Afro -American woman, will not hurt him in a primary democrat if she loses,” said another longtime democratic strategist in Illinois, who is not part of any of the race campaigns. “This will only hurt him if she fails, if she’s just embarrassing.”