r/PritzkerPosting

Two Democratic governors with presidential aspirations are spending money and time in Tennessee to boost the party’s U.S. House candidates ahead of the November midterm election.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s political action committee, PAC, Ready for the Fight, has purchased around $1.6 million in television advertisements in Nashville and Memphis over the next four weeks, according to a Lookout analysis of Federal Communications Commission public inspection files.

Ready for the Fight has raised $20 million from Pritzker, a Democrat, according to Politico. The group’s ad attacks Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor in his Tennessee 9th U.S. Congressional race against Democratic state Rep. Justin J. Pearson.

“The new ads are part of Ready for the Fight’s commitment to compete aggressively in places Democrats too often write off,” said PAC officials in a news release.

While Pritzker is spending in the state, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear visited Tennessee earlier this week to endorse Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder in his campaign for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District. A Nashville fundraiser Beshear headlined for Molder raised about $130,000.

Both Pritzker and Beshear are considered potential Democratic Party presidential candidates in 2028. They are trying to boost the party’s chances of winning a congressional seat in Tennessee despite an unfavorable map.

Tennessee state lawmakers redrew the state’s U.S. House map in May at President Donald Trump’s urging. The goal was to eliminate the last Democratic-held Tennessee congressional seat in Memphis by splitting the majority Black city across three House seats.

The new map created nine districts that Trump won by 20 percentage points each in the 2024 election, with analysts favoring Republicans to win all nine of the new districts.

Erin Covey, head of the Cook Political Report’s U.S. House rating, previously told the Lookout that even in an environment where the Democratic Party sees a national blue wave, picking up any of Tennessee’s congressional districts would be difficult.

But Covey added that the party’s best shot in Tennessee would be the 5th, where Molder is running against Republican former Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher, and the 9th.

“Democrats are running serious campaigns that have raised a lot of money and have enthusiasm,” Covey said.

The Ready for the Fight advertisement attacks Taylor for supporting Trump’s war in Iran, while praising Pearson.

Taylor said the advertisement showed he’s the frontrunner in the race.

“Justin Pearson is a far-left Democrat Socialist just like Pritzker,” said Taylor. “Pearson’s specialty is communism. Mine is common sense.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, DCCC, has put both the 5th and 9th in its 2026 Red to Blue list of seats it plans to dedicate resources to as the party tries to regain control of the U.S. House.

The DCCC has nearly four dozen House races on its Red to Blue list and would need to flip four seats while holding all its current ones to take the majority.

Cook rates all nine of Tennessee’s congressional districts as solid Republican, the highest GOP favorability rating it gives when classifying the races.

A soundstage facility broke ground in Illinois this week, with its owner and Gov. JB Pritzker touting the state’s generous tax credit as a key reason for its existence.

When it’s finished, Hollywood River Studios will feature six soundstages with 144,000 square feet of production space along with an office building and warehouse facilities. The facility is in Wood River, Illinois, about 15 miles north of (and across the Mississippi River from) St. Louis, Missouri.

“Last year, Illinois had more than $700 million in film and television production spending: real dollars going to Illinois businesses and workers, supporting our economy,” Pritzker said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “Hollywood River Studios is adding an important piece to that ecosystem, projecting hundreds of permanent jobs once the development is fully built out, and hundreds more as the campus is developed. That means more people working in the entertainment industry without having to leave the region to tell their stories.”

Pritzker and Hollywood River Studios founder and CEO Christopher Breakwell both touted the state’s production tax credit at the groundbreaking. Illinois offers a 35 percent credit for qualified in-state production spending, plus an additional 5 percent on resident wages outside the Chicago area (Wood River qualifies for that boost) and a further 5 percent for certified green productions.

The possibility of a federal production tax credit also factored into the decision to begin construction on the Wood River facility, the principals noted.

Hollywood River Studios plans to have some facilities ready to house productions by late 2027. Construction firm Spantech is fabricating the stages offsite and will assemble them on location, allowing for a relatively fast build.

Gov. JB Pritzker joined executives from Viakable Manufacturing, 2969 Chartres St., on Wednesday to announce a $55 million expansion of the company’s La Salle facility, creating 50 new full-time jobs and retaining 65 existing positions.

“I’m proud that Viakable is doubling down on their commitment to Illinois as a key partner in our economic vision and world-class manufacturing ecosystem,” Pritzker said. “Investments like this are helping Illinois build an even stronger foundation for long-term sustainable prosperity that is being felt in communities across the state.”

Viakable, a subsidiary of Mexican industrial conglomerate Xignux, has operated in La Salle since 2018, which was its first manufacturing operation in the United States. Approximately $150 million has been invested in the operation since then, according to remarks by Deborah Phillips, president and CEO of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

The expansion will construct a 22,000-square-foot addition and install 17 advanced machines, upgrading critical utilities including a new electrical substation to boost capacity in wire drawing, cabling, extrusion and packaging, according to a news release. The EDGE agreement shows approximately 61% of Viakable’s U.S. sales volume will be manufactured in Illinois.

“This investment reflects our long-term commitment to La Salle, Illinois, and to the future of manufacturing in North America,” said Juan Ignacio Garza Herrera, CEO of Xignux. “By strengthening our operation here, we will be better positioned to serve our customers, create quality jobs and expand our capabilities in the U.S.”

The expansion resulted from Pritzker’s trade mission to Mexico, which focused on deepening economic ties and attracting new business investments to Illinois, according to a news release.

The state supported the project through its EDGE incentive program. So far in 2026, companies participating in EDGE have committed to creating nearly 6,000 new jobs and more than $2.6 billion in investments, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

“Continued investment in the Illinois Valley is great news for La Salle and the hardworking men and women who call this region home,” said State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) in a news release. “Manufacturing has long been an important part of our local economy, and I am excited to see another local employer choosing to invest, expand and create opportunities right here in La Salle.”

The executed EDGE agreement, publicly posted by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, was signed by the state on Monday.

The contract commits to no fixed dollar amount. Instead, the annual tax credit is the lesser of 50% of state income tax withholding on newly hired workers plus 10% of training costs or 100% of the withholding on new workers, for up to 100 new employees, which is double the 50 employees Viakable pledged.

The credit runs for 10 consecutive tax years. The company must meet investment and job commitments by a benchmark date of Dec. 31, 2028, according to the agreement.

If Viakable permanently shuts down in Illinois during the agreement term, all credits are recovered. A shortfall in jobs automatically suspends the credit until restored, according to the agreement.

The company said that the investment would not occur without the credit.