Gov. JB Pritzker remains cautious about vetting vice presidents as Harris nears election

CHICAGO — If he made it to the final round to become Kamala Harris’ vice presidential running mate, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is not saying.

Pritzker told USA TODAY on Wednesday that he had spoken to Harris and her campaign team “multiple times” over the past few weeks, including the day President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the race. But as a member of Biden’s national advisory board, he said he has long been in contact with campaign aides about ways he can support the candidacy.

“I’m just not going to talk about private conversations I had with the vice president,” he said.

What he revealed: that he was not told that is not him. “Oh, no. I don’t think any decisions have been made yet,” he said.

Harris’ campaign confirmed Tuesday that the presumptive Democratic nominee plans to name her vice presidential candidate by Aug. 6, with the new lineup set to tour several key swing states, starting in Philadelphia and also making stops in western Wisconsin, Detroit, Raleigh, N.C., Savannah, Ga., Phoenix and Las Vegas. The leading vice presidential candidates are Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Pritzker hesitated when asked if he planned any in-person meetings with Harris.

“Right now I’m just a guy working to make sure everybody knows what the message of this campaign is so we can get her elected president,” he said.

As a two-term governor of a Midwest state that borders several must-win battleground states, Pritzker’s name has been floated as a potential vice presidential candidate, repeatedly suggesting he’s being considered while sidestepping questions about the vetting process.

Pritzker’s finances would be subject to review if he were audited. As the heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune with a net worth of about $3.5 billion, the process could prove more complicated for him than for Harris’ other choices.

Harris has less than a week to make her choice if Democrats want to meet their own Aug. 7 deadline to form a new slate of candidates.

Pritzker denied Wednesday that his vast assets were a problem.

“I don’t think so. Remember, I’ve been thoroughly vetted because I ran for state office twice in the fifth-largest state in the country and I did it successfully. Everything was transparent. We looked at all my experience, all my finances,” he said.

Because of the economic interest statements he was required to disclose, Pritzker said, “and the release of my tax returns, they know what my wallet is.”

Pritzker has partially released his tax returns. And questions about his independently managed trusts continue to arise.

“They really know that I fight for working families, that I’m a pragmatic person who has balanced budgets, and also a progressive on a number of issues,” he said. “And I think it’s incredibly important that we take this national, all-Democratic agenda, and I hope that happens with a winning ticket that Kamala Harris runs.”