Pritzker greets supporters in Bronzeville after historic third-term win

Democrats have taken back control of the House and the Senate, and there's still races. We're waiting. They're still too close to call. The person most talked about to be as the next House speaker, Hakeem Jeffries, he is about to speak to America after Democrats took control of Congress. And here locally, we've got our eye on a lot. We're waiting for reelected Governor Pritzker to speak about what he calls priorities that he wants to see from the new Congress. While we wait for that event, another one just wrapped. We're at Peach's Restaurant, and that's where Saquon is this morning. So let's check in with Sae. What you got, Sae? Hey, guys. Yeah, exactly. So we are just outside of Peaches here on 47th. This is an iconic restaurant here in Bronzeville. And we know Governor Pritzker just stopped by here after, of course, securing that historic third term as governor. I caught up with two women earlier this morning who are very proudly born and raised here on the city's south side. And they had some pretty big smiles on their faces as they saw J.B. Pritzker walking on in. Take a listen. And I came today to say, attaboy, JB. I'm really proud of him. I'm so proud of the way that he's brought good stewardship to the state of Illinois. He can tell that he's invested, and he loves his job. And you don't always get that feeling from politicians. And to know that he wants to do it one more time is great. That is huge, huge. This is such a historic election, just with all these changes and all that. And, again, I think it shows that folks are saying, I am sick of this, and I can make a difference. So if it's just going out to vote. Just one vote at a time, folks are saying, I'm going to go ahead and take a chance and do it. Well, the governor made his way to just about every single person inside this restaurant this morning. He was shaking hands, taking photos, signing autographs. Pritzker not only secured reelection guys, but will also become the first Democratic governor in Illinois to win three consecutive terms in decades. The governor is planning to speak more about his victory during a press conference happening any minute now. And as you guys mentioned, we also know he's expected to lay out some of his priorities for Congress. But while I had the chance, very little time that we had here, I asked Pritzker about all of this attention he's getting from his supporters. Take a listen. How many photos and autographs do you think in the last 48 hours? 48 hours, gosh, 10,000? I mean, we're getting there. But as far as I'm concerned, people have been so gracious and grateful, and I love it. Honestly, every photo is potentially a vote as far as I'm concerned. Well, Pritzker dodged any questions about a presidential run in 2028, saying he is committed to getting the work done here in Illinois. But he was joined by Lieutenant Governor elect Christian Mitchell. And I asked him whether there has been any talk between the two parties about running for the national stage. I have to ask you one more question. I'm sure you get it all the time. Any sort of indication from the governor that he might be eyeing a presidential run here in 2028? I've never heard it, wow. No, listen, the governor is very clear that he is focused. He just won a historic third term by an incredible margin. We've really increased our margin from 2022. We feel really good about where we are because people want the state of Illinois to keep moving forward. So pretty much that lieutenant governor elect obviously gave a very similar message to Governor Pritzker kind of dodging that question altogether and really emphasizing that the focus is here in Illinois. We know another win for democrats here in this state is of course This race to replace Dick Durbin's seat, current Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, of course, helped to make history. She is one of three black women elected to serve in the Senate at the same time. Now, we are told that Stratton will be joining Governor Pritzker at that press conference today as they get ready to celebrate a big victory, not only for Democrats across the country, but here at home as well. Guys. All right. So we got more important stuff to get to. But I got to ask you, have you had this shrimp and grits yet at Peach's Restaurant? Okay, well, I don't know if I'm going to get in trouble for this, but I will say, literally less than five minutes ago, I was just inside eating my shrimp and grits. And it was cheese grits, by the way. So good. So good. All right, thank you. Got to make time for both when you're out there reporting. But like they mentioned, that press conference is happening right now with Governor J.B. Pritzker. You can see he's speaking there. Let's take a listen. Costing families and farmers billions of dollars. It doesn't stop with the pointless wars and higher prices. Their agenda slashed basic government services and made life harder for ordinary families. They've cut food assistance for 150,000 Illinoisans, taking meals off the table for families and children. Their changes to Medicaid have stripped coverage from 9,000 people and put access to care at risk for as many as half a million people in our state. They raise premiums for middle class families. Illinois has felt these consequences firsthand. When Washington makes reckless decisions, the impact does not stay in Washington. They land on the desks of our state agencies in Illinois, in our hospitals, in our schools, on our farms, and in the homes of hardworking families. State government administers these programs and is left picking up the pieces when Washington breaks them. We know what works here, where the gaps are, and what happens when federal policy ignores What is happening on the ground? Today, you'll hear directly from the people navigating the consequences of these policies in every corner of Illinois. Cuts to education and disaster relief, threats to health care, rising costs, attacks on essential services. There is virtually no part of daily life that has been untouched. From our largest cities to our smallest rural communities, Illinois families are paying the price because Trump's sycophants in Congress wouldn't put a reckless president in check. Since Trump was inaugurated, my administration has been documenting every policy change, funding cut, and administrative action that has impacted our people. We have prepared for this moment because we knew if we fought hard enough, this moment would come. So that was Governor J.B. Pritzker joining community leaders in Chicago today, calling on the next Congress to provide relief for Illinois families. This is happening at Columbus Park right now.