Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker came to Dallas to do one thing: get in the way of the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention.
The Democrat, a potential 2028 White House contender, held a counter-programming news conference across the street from the American Airlines Center, where President Donald Trump and the GOP kicked off their two-day gathering. Pritzker’s message to voters was blunt.
“Voters can see through the BS that Republicans are spewing,” he told reporters at the Democratic National Committee-hosted event.
Inside the GOP’s Dallas playbook
Republicans are using the convention to motivate their base and boost turnout in key races as they defend slim House and Senate majorities. RNC Chair Joe Gruters made the strategy explicit.
“We are putting the president on the ballot,” Gruters said in a Fox News Digital interview. “That’s exactly what we’re doing with this midterm convention.”
What Pritzker said about Trump’s record
Pritzker dismissed the spectacle entirely. He said the event cannot hide what he called Republican failures on the economy and foreign policy.
“This bizarre Republican midterm convention here can’t paper over the fact that Republicans have done nothing to earn your vote,” Pritzker said. “Donald Trump is hoping that a flashy primetime event will make you forget that, well, his trade war is killing costs for families at the grocery store.”
He also cited the war in Iran, claiming it is “killing ranchers and farmers and their way of life,” and said Republican policies are “raising the costs of health care and housing” for working families.
The rigged election charge
The governor went further, accusing Republicans of trying to manipulate the 2026 election. He argued that Trump is aiming to use the U.S. Postal Service to restrict mail-in balloting across the country.
“Republicans know that they can’t win on the merits of their unpopular policies,” Pritzker charged. “So, they’re working to rig the 2026 election.”
He also issued a stark warning about what a loss could mean.
“If Democrats don’t win, if they don’t win in this election, we may not have other elections, or certainly we’re going to have future elections, every single one of which will be rigged.”
The White House has defended Trump’s executive order on mail-in voting as a “commonsense measure” aimed at ensuring secure elections.
Pritzker’s 2028 answer
Pritzker is running for a third term this year in Democrat-dominated Illinois. His presence in Texas, standing alongside top state Democrats, raised the obvious question: Is this about 2028?
When Fox News asked directly, the governor pivoted.
“I care a great deal about what happens in Texas,” Pritzker said. “Voters everywhere in the country should care about what happens in Texas. So, I’m pleased to be here for that reason. If I can advance the cause, that’s why I should stand here.”
What happens next
The two-day convention kicked off Wednesday. Republicans are betting the event energizes their base. Pritzker is betting voters see through it.
The midterms are less than two months away.
Source: foxnews.com
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