Governor J.B. Pritzker rallied the party faithful during a campaign stop in western Illinois over the weekend. The Democrat called this fall’s election an opportunity and a challenge.
An enthusiastic crowd greeted the governor at the McDonough County Democratic Coalition's campaign headquarters in downtown Macomb.
During a brief speech, Pritzker told the crowd that “the people who are on the other side of the ballot believe in hate.”
He said that’s why Democrats need to get out and vote this fall.
“Hate is on the ballot, and it’s our job to defeat it,” Pritzker said to cheers. “It’s the Democratic Party that’s going to defeat hate because hate has no home in Illinois.”
He said Democrats are working to expand voting rights, civil rights, human rights, and women’s rights, while Republicans are working to take away such rights.
Pritzker is running for his second term.
He said the state had unbalanced budgets, a multi-billion-dollar bill backlog, and eight credit rating downgrades under his predecessor, Republican Bruce Rauner.
“So now, four years later, four balanced budgets in a row. We eliminated the bill backlog in the state of Illinois. We got six credit upgrades. We’re not sending millions of dollars in interest payments to New York,” Pritzker said.
The governor also said that Illinois Democrats during the past four years have invested in education and infrastructure, and passed the Reproductive Health Act.
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