(Bloomberg) -- Illinois executives and Democratic donor heavyweights are making the case for Vice President Kamala Harris to select Governor JB Pritzker as her running mate, citing his accomplishments in wooing business activity to their state.
Michael Sacks, chairman and chief executive officer of hedge fund GCM Grosvenor, Ariel Investments LLC’s John Rogers, Chicago Bears Chairman George McCaskey and team CEO Kevin Warren were among the 43 people who signed a letter addressed to Harris on Thursday.
“His proven track record of fiscal responsibility, job creation, and bipartisan collaboration would make him an ideal partner in the White House,” they wrote in the letter obtained by Bloomberg News.
The letter was also signed by Martin Cabrera, CEO of Cabrera Capital Markets, Curt Bailey, president of Related Midwest, Neil Murray, CEO of real estate brokerage JLL, and real estate developer Jeff Shapack.
The last-minute effort to sway Harris’ running mate selection comes in the final stage of the vetting process. Harris, who emerged as the Democratic presidential candidate after President Joe Biden dropped out last month, has been interviewing potential vice presidential picks this week, according to a person familiar with the process.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are among those who are being considered by Harris’ team. She is expected to announce a running mate in the coming days, before embarking on a tour of swing states with her pick next week.
Sacks, a major Democratic donor, is the chair of the host committee for the upcoming Democratic National Convention, set to take place in Chicago later this month. His spokesperson confirmed he signed the letter. A spokesperson for Pritzker did not respond to a request for comment about the letter.
The letter comes on the heels of a big month for the Illinois governor, who is gearing up for the first convention in Chicago since 1996. In July, he unveiled a quantum and microelectronics park on the site of a former US Steel Corp. mill. The announcement included the park’s first tenant: PsiQuantum, which plans to build the first US utility-scale quantum computer.
Also in July, Pritzker scored another win, when United Airlines Holdings Inc. became the first airline to use the state’s tax credit to purchase green jet fuel at O’Hare International Airport.
Pritzker also recently posted a new video on X, formerly known as Twitter, showcasing his administration’s accomplishments in Illinois and Chicago.
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