Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday the launch of a new political action committee, Ready for the Fight PAC, aimed at supporting House Democrats in districts his team describes as “overlooked” ahead of the 2026 midterms.
According to a news release, the group will run ads targeting Brandon Herrera, a Republican and YouTuber running in a red-leaning Texas border district, and Representative Max Miller, an Ohio Republican whose ex-wife has accused him of domestic violence and child abuse. The PAC says it will add more races to its target list later.
“With everything we care about on the line, Democrats cannot retreat to a handful of battleground races,” said Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokeswoman for the group, in the news release.
Pritzker is funding the PAC in part with his own personal fortune and plans to raise additional money from other donors, Abudayyeh said.
Reelection bid and national ambitions
The PAC’s launch comes as Pritzker wraps up a statewide bus tour tied to his campaign for a third term as Illinois governor, a race he is widely expected to win in November given the state’s deep-blue lean. He is also frequently mentioned as a potential 2028 presidential contender.
Building a PAC that funds candidates outside Illinois can help a governor build relationships with other Democrats, accumulate goodwill, and generate political capital that could be useful in a future national campaign.
Pritzker is not alone among Democratic governors taking this route. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has his Campaign for Democracy PAC, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear runs In This Together PAC, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has Fight Like Hell PAC.
Contrast with past statements
Pritzker has previously criticized the influence of billionaires in politics. His Republican gubernatorial opponent, former state Sen. Darren Bailey, pointed to this contradiction in July, noting that Pritzker spent $10 million through a super PAC in an earlier effort to help Juliana Stratton’s U.S. Senate campaign.
Pritzker also drew attention earlier in 2025 for offering “safe harbor” to Texas Democratic lawmakers who left their state during a redistricting dispute, even as critics noted Illinois’ own congressional maps are among the most heavily gerrymandered in the country — a point even late-night host Stephen Colbert has raised on air.
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