UPDATED 3:32 P.M.

Chicago, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW)  – Five days after announcing his re-election bid, Governor JB Pritzker has chosen Christian Mitchell to be his running mate.

“If you’ve got leaders in government who care about working families, making life more affordable, making health care more accessible…” said Mitchell.

“…As a state representative, as the deputy governor of this state, Christian Mitchell has gotten so much done for people,” said Pritzker, in a campaign video.  “I know when we’ve got to take on Donald Trump and overcome the challenges he’s bringing to our state, that Christian Mitchell is up for that fight.”

“I’ve been fortunate to work with him to get big things done in my role as deputy governor, passing the largest infrastructure investment in state history, and a bill to put us on a path to 100 percent clean energy by 2050,” Mitchell said in an interview, “and I think we just have a really great working relationship. I know he was looking for somebody he believed to be a true partner to him, so I think that’s why he asked, and I am very honored to accept.”

Mitchell now serves as a lawyer in the Illinois Air National Guard and as a vice president at the University of Chicago, replacing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who is not seeking another term, choosing instead to run for U.S, Senate.

Mitchell was a relatively late enlistee into the service.

“I got to know the members of the National Guard very well during the incredible flooding that we saw in 2019, and then their heroic effort during COVID-19,” Mitchell said. “I wanted to help and had always been interested, so I commissioned as a JAG officer,” having earned a law degree during his time as a state lawmaker.

“When JB was first running for office, he promised that he was going to think big, and that is exactly what he’s done as our Governor,” said Mitchell.  “I am so excited to be joining JB in this moment, because it’s more critical than ever.  We’ve made a lot of progress in the last eight years, but we have to protect that progress.  And, together, we will always stand up for Illinois.”

While many names continue to be floated as potential candidates for Governor, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick is the only announced candidate so far on the Republican side for 2026.

There’s no escaping the subject of the 2028 presidential campaign and whether Pritzker will be part of it.

“It’s very flattering to hear about, I’m sure, for the governor,” Mitchell said, “but, at the end of the day, he’s running to be governor, and I’m running to be his partner in governing.”