Is a Billionaire Hotel Heir the Answer to Democrats' Working-Class Problem?
By Jesus Mesa
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt hotel empire, has the kind of profile that seems destined to ignite debate in today's Democratic Party. He's rich—very rich, to the tune of nearly $4 billion. But he's also big—in stature, yes, but also in rhetoric.
In recent months, Pritzker has emerged as one of the loudest, most full-throated voices opposing President Donald Trump's second term, even as his own party wrestles with how to handle the contradictions of populist rage and patrician leadership.
Pritzker's growing national footprint comes at a moment of reckoning for Democrats. His speeches are forceful, his money is bottomless, and his policy platform leans unapologetically liberal. But can a billionaire—especially one born into wealth—really be the champion of a party that's spent the last decade railing against economic oligarchy?
Newsweek reached out to Pritzker's office with an interview request for this story.
A Progressive in a Billionaire's Clothing
In the wake of Joe Biden's exit and Kamala Harris's defeat in 2024, Pritzker has stepped forward. And not subtly.
"Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption—but I am now," Pritzker boomed in a fiery New Hampshire speech this spring. "Democrats must castigate [Republicans] on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box," he added.
The 60-year-old governor has drawn comparisons to Franklin D. Roosevelt, another blue blood who governed as a populist and railed against entrenched economic power. "Take it from an actual billionaire—Trump is rich in only one thing: stupidity," Pritzker said at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, drawing a roar from the crowd. It's a line he's repeated since, aiming his considerable fortune and influence squarely at the president.
His rhetoric drew accusations of incitement from Trump allies. During a February budget address, Pritzker drew a historical parallel to the rise of the Nazis, rattling off the exact time it took Hitler to dismantle the Weimar Republic and imploring Americans to "man a post with a bucket of water" when democracy is burning.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzke
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker waits to speak during a Democratic National Convention security briefing at the U.S. Secret Service's Chicago Field Office, in Chicago, July 25, 2024.
Pritzker, who is Jewish, shrugged off the criticism, pointing out what he called the "terrible hypocrisy" of Republicans while making clear he would not hesitate to invoke the darkest chapters of history to sound the alarm about Trump.
By mid-2025, his high-profile speeches, frequent visits to early primary states, and generous donations to Democratic causes had fueled speculation that he was positioning himself for a future presidential run. Veteran Democratic strategist Robert Creamer told Newsweek that the absence of clear leadership within the party has created space for a new generation of Democrats—one where Pritzker's unapologetic and almost Trumpian bravado might just strike a chord with the party's frustrated voters.
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"There's room now for a chorus of voices to stand up. And people want to see leaders fighting back," Creamer said.
Polls show that large swaths of the Democratic base feel the party has surrendered the fight on key social issues to MAGA Republicans without the resistance they brought forward eight years ago. And Pritzker has argued that voters are angry at Democrats, not so much for what they believe, but for the moral courage they've so often failed to demonstrate.
Still, his inherited wealth casts a long shadow. "At first glance, Pritzker is an unlikely messenger for an unapologetically progressive platform," progressive strategist Max Burns told Newsweek. But some strategists argue that Pritzker's riches may free him from the donor class's grip and could become an asset.
"You have someone who's independently wealthy and was initially criticized by the left for that, but who proved his progressive credentials as a governor and political figure. More than that, he has this fearless attitude toward the moment, which I think resonates with a lot of Democratic voters who are telling pollsters they want leaders ready to fight," he added.
And Trump himself has taken notice of Pritzker's crusade against him, mocking his appearance in a Truth Social post last June as the "Rotund Governor...who makes Chris Christie look like a male model."
For many liberals, drawing Trump's social media ire is a badge of honor in itself.
Tax the Rich, Even If You're One of Them
Pritzker's billions and status as an heir to one of America's great hospitality fortunes inevitably shape public perception of him. In a Democratic Party where figures like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez draw huge crowds by denouncing "millionaires and billionaires," Pritzker stands out as something of an outlier.
Democratic voters have long been skeptical of ultra-wealthy candidates—a sentiment that played out most recently in Mike Bloomberg's failed 2020 presidential bid. Despite his high profile as a media mogul and 12 years as a relatively popular New York City mayor, Bloomberg quickly drew some of the highest unfavorable ratings among Democratic contenders in that primary, and his campaign fizzled out after a disappointing showing on Super Tuesday. Fellow billionaire Tom Steyer also spent heavily that cycle but failed to gain any momentum.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Senator Bernie Sanders (i-Vermont) speak to a full auditorium as part of the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour on April 14 in Nampa, Idaho. Natalie Behring/Getty Images
That kind of sentiment isn't isolated. Nationally, polls show overwhelming Democratic support for higher taxes on the rich. A 2024 survey from Data for Progress, a progressive think-tank, found that 84 percent of Democrats favored a minimum tax on billionaires. Similarly, more than two-thirds of Americans overall supported wealth taxes on fortunes over $50 million.
Pritzker has leaned into that message. He often invokes his own billionaire status to draw a contrast with Trump, saying he knows firsthand how unfair the system is for working Americans. In his failed push for a graduated income tax in Illinois, Pritzker argued that it was "only fair" for people like himself to pay more. "The same billionaires who lied to you about the fair tax," he told voters in 2020, "are more than happy to hurt our public schools [and] shake the foundations of our cities."
Yet, his ability to self-fund his own campaigns has arguably been an advantage in Illinois. Pritzker famously spent $171 million of his own money in 2018 and another $140 million on his reelection campaign four years later, dwarfing his opponents. The centrist group Third Way suggested that, like Trump in 2016, Pritzker could argue his business success makes him an effective leader—but without the chaos and baggage that trails Trump.
"People are very mad at Elon Musk, but not because he's rich," noted Matt Bennett of Third Way, implying voters might accept a rich Democrat so long as he's seen as competent and not abusive of his power.
As Bennett pointed out, Democratic voters might be more open to a billionaire messenger than you'd expect—if that billionaire is seen as sincere and willing to go after his own kind, with Pritzker himself offering a test case at the state level last year. In a November non-binding referendum, 60 percent of voters said they favored adding a 3 percent surtax on income over $1 million to help reduce property taxes.
A relative of the governor, Rachel Pritzker, chairs Third Way's board of trustees.
For his part, Pritzker has tried to straddle this divide: he voices solidarity with progressive aims yet stops short of vilifying the rich categorically. In a recent interview, he even downplayed the label "oligarch," saying it's "an easy word for people to use" for tech titans close to Trump. "I don't take it as an offense to me," Pritzker told CNN.
Springfield or the White House?
Pritzker has yet to announce whether he'll seek a third term as Illinois governor next year, nor has he ruled out a 2028 presidential run. That dual ambiguity is placing him under growing scrutiny back home, where his support is shakier than his rising national profile might suggest.
A February 2025 Lincoln Poll from the Illinois Policy Institute found voters nearly evenly split on Pritzker's job performance—50 percent favorable, 46.6 percent unfavorable. Perhaps more concerning for the governor: nearly 52 percent of respondents identified high taxes as the state's most pressing issue, and almost half said they would move out of Illinois if they had the chance.
"Pritzker's tenure has made Illinois an increasingly expensive place to live," said Bryce Hill, director of fiscal and economic analysis at the institute. "Tax hikes are not the right solution to close budget deficits."
J.B. Pritzker
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Pritzker faces a projected $3 billion budget shortfall heading into the 2026 fiscal year. While he remains a national Democratic force—celebrated by party strategists for his progressive achievements and high-profile resistance to Donald Trump—some Illinoisans are growing weary. To them, he appears more focused on national ambitions than the day-to-day business of governing.
"Third terms are notoriously perilous," longtime Democratic strategist David Axelrod told WBEZ Chicago. "Things that can go wrong tend to go wrong in third terms."
Fellow strategist Pete Giangreco was even more blunt: "There's no reason to run for a third term as governor to improve your chances of being president."
When asked about those comments on CNN, Pritzker offered a revealing retort: "I think [Axelrod] has in mind the idea that his friend Rahm Emanuel would like to run for governor of Illinois," he said—suggesting that internal rivalries within the party may be behind the cool response from his Chicagoan Democratic colleagues. Still, he acknowledged the broader point: "Axelrod is not wrong."
He pointed to Washington Democratic Governor Jay Inslee's third term as proof that continued progress is possible. Still, Pritzker's balancing act—managing a blue state in the heartland with challenges ranging from crime to affordability while also eyeing a national platform—remains fraught. A recent poll found that 60 percent of Illinois voters do not support the idea of him running for president, reflecting ongoing skepticism about his leadership from his constituents.
Still, even if Pritzker is facing growing criticism at home, he remains a respected figure within the national party. The real question is whether voters will buy his pitch—that a billionaire born into one of America's wealthiest families can be a true champion of the working class.
As Max Burns, the progressive strategist, put it: "This is not a time for small men. As Pritzker will be happy to tell you, he's anything but a small man."
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