Campaign finance records from Open Secrets indicate that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is supporting Susan Crawford in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, with his firm donating $500,000 to the Wisconsin Democratic Party. The records are dated January 28.
According to the Cook County Record, Pritzker is involving himself in Wisconsin politics by making this substantial donation to help maintain the Democratic majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Pritzker, who previously supported an Illinois law aimed at limiting outside donations to Republican judicial candidates, is listed in Wisconsin campaign finance records with an address linked to The Pritzker Group, his Chicago-based venture capital firm.
A user on X questioned the implications of Pritzker’s financial involvement: “Why should someone in Montana or Alabama care that Illinois Governor Pritzker is pouring huge money into the Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice race? If Democrats win that seat, the court will redraw the congressional map for 2026, gaining three Democratic seats and impacting control of the U.S. House. It matters.”
Beyond financial contributions, Pritzker has actively engaged with Wisconsin Democrats. According to Wisconsin Public Radio, he delivered the keynote address at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s state convention in Milwaukee in June 2024, emphasizing regional collaboration and shared values among Midwestern states.
Brad Schimel, running against Susan Crawford for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, said in a WisPolitics release that “Soros, Pritzker, and Hoffman’s cash accounted for over 40 percent of the $4 million in individual contributions received by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin this past month. Half of the money the Democratic Party of Wisconsin received was then transferred to Susan Crawford’s campaign.”
J.B. Pritzker is a billionaire businessman and has been serving as the 43rd governor of Illinois since 2019. He is an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune and a key Democratic donor known for advocating progressive policies.
