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Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Ill., was pressed by NBC’s Kristen Welker on his billionaire status as other members of the Democratic Party, including New York City mayor candidate Zohran Mamdani, continue to rail against billionaires.
“Some in your party are openly questioning whether billionaires such as yourself should exist at all, governor,” Welker said before she played a clip of Mamdani saying the United States shouldn’t have billionaires.
Welker asked the Democratic governor if the party should be embracing an anti-billionaire message.
“Look, how much money you have doesn’t determine what your values are, and I’m a Democrat because I believe that everyone deserves health care. I’m a Democrat because I believe we’ve got to fund education and have a free public education available to every kid in this country. I’m a Democrat because I believe that we’ve got to stand up for our democracy and against the MAGA Republicans who are literally trying to take away people’s rights around this country. It does not matter what your income level is, what matters is what your values are and that’s what makes me a Democrat,” Pritzker responded.
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Other liberals, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have also been vocal in criticizing billionaires. Sanders has been touring the country on a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour since President Donald Trump took office.
Sanders started the tour to “take on the Oligarchs and corporate interests who have so much power and influence in this country.”
Other Democrats, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have spoken out in favor of increasing taxes on billionaires.
Warren fiercely defended Mamdani’s plan to increase taxes on billionaires should he be elected mayor during an interview on CNBC earlier this week.
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Welker also pressed Pritzker on the Republican redistricting efforts in Texas and whether Democrats were being hypocritical.
“I do want to look at the map of Illinois. Let’s take a look at this. Despite President Trump winning 44% of the statewide vote in 2024, Republicans hold only three of Illinois’s 17 districts. These districts seem to be to maximize Democratic advantage. What do you say to those who argue it’s hypocritical for you to criticize Texas for partisanship when your state also drew maps to boost your party’s standing?” Welker asked.
“Well, remember that what Texas is trying to do is, again, violate the Voting Rights Act. We didn’t. We held public hearings, legislative hearings. People attended them. They spoke out. There was a map that was put out. There were actually changes made to the map and a map was passed, and it was done at the end of the census, the decennial census, so that’s how it’s done in this country,” Pritzker responded.
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Welker said that groups who grade the fairness of congressional maps have given Illinois an F. She pointed to one government watchdog who said Illinois’ map “represents a nearly perfect model for everything that can go wrong with redistricting.”
“You talk about preserving democracy, how do you preserve democracy, if you’re using the same tactics that you’ve criticized Texas Republicans for?” Welker asked.
Pritzker said again that the Texas Republicans were attempting to violate the Voting Rights Act.
“Democracy is at stake and these Texas Democrats are standing up to what the GOP is attempting to do which is to, to steal seats because they know what they’ve done is wrong. They know that they’ve made an enormous mistake,” he said.
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