Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville has explained why he believes Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker could be the ideal Democratic presidential nominee in 2028.
Appearing on Fox News personality Raymond Arroyo’s “Arroyo Grande” show, Carville downplayed the prospects of former Vice President Kamala Harris and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) while suggesting that former U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel would “have an effect on the dialogue.”
Watch the full episode on YouTube.
But Pritzker, Carville said, checks two crucial boxes.
He “can raise a lot of early money,” Carville said, adding that Pritzker can also walk into any Black establishment and “have people pay attention to him.”
Carville acknowledged that California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro could also generate significant fundraising support.
“If I had to say one guy — I really don’t know him, very superficially — but if I were betting the Kentucky Derby and I saw this 12-to-1 horse and I said, ‘I want to get a prize,’ I’d take JB Pritzker,” Carville said.
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When Arroyo asked why not Harris, noting that she is Black, Carville replied that Harris, who lost the 2024 election to President Donald Trump, has “no chance.”
“No Democrat wants anything to do with anybody that had anything to do with 2024,” he said. “Not that we dislike them — that’s not what this is. There’s no enthusiasm.”
Carville dismissed the power of name recognition: “If you do a poll and you say for 2028 it’s Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, any name they’ve heard of, the person they’ve heard of is always going to be on top. But that’s meaningless.”
By contrast, Carville said, Pritzker is well-liked within the Black community.
“He campaigns hard,” he said. “I bet you there’s not a Black church in South Carolina that JB’s not part of the building fund committee.”
“He’s bigger than life,” he added. “He’s worth $3 billion and won a million and a half dollars shooting craps and blackjack in Las Vegas. That makes people like him.”
Harris currently leads in the polls, with Newsom in second, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in third and Ocasio-Cortez in fourth.