Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is scheduled to take the stage around 8 p.m. Tuesday for an economy-focused speech on day two of the Democratic National Convention he helped bring to Chicago.
Pritzker, a billionaire Hyatt Hotel heir and second-term Democrat from Chicagowas on Vice President Kamala Harris’ short list of potential running mates before she landed on another Midwestern governor, Minnesota’s Tim Walz.
Pritzker’s remarks will focus on “the economy and what the Harris-Walz administration will deliver for the American people,” according to the governor’s campaign.
In an interview Tuesday morning, Pritzker, who was a campaign chairman for President Joe Biden before he withdrew from the race last month, elaborated on an earlier comment that he had some “concern” about Biden’s election chances.
“It was really just a concern that if we don’t win, we’re going to end up with Donald Trump, and if Joe Biden can’t perform in the debate, that’s where you have the best chance to show the contrast, then it would be challenging in the general election.” , Pritzker told the Tribune. “That being said, I supported Joe Biden all the way to the end.”
Pritzker told Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” in an otherwise light-hearted video segment filmed last week and posted online Monday that he had some concerns about Biden’s re-election prospects after the president’s shaky debate performance in June.
“A lot of us were worried about the direction of the election and whether Joe Biden would be able to be competitive, because the polls weren’t looking good,” Pritzker said during the Daily Show appearance.
On Tuesday, Pritzker told the Tribune: “I love Joe Biden, so watching the debate performance I felt like he’s going to be hurt in the election by what happened in the debate, even though he’s someone who’s been fighting for things like Democrats care about.”
Watch his speech below.
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