Pritzker looks to build up 'blue wall' with stops in Indiana, Ohio

Pushing through concerns of age and a shaky debate performance, Gov. JB Pritzker has been adamant that President Joe Biden is the man to defeat former President Donald Trump come November while shooting down claims that he himself could enter the race.

Still, some Midwest Democrats think the Democratic governor could be a viable candidate in 2024 or 2028.

Pritzker traveled to Indiana and Ohio July 12 and July 13 with aims to drum up support for the party and Biden. While speaking to friendly, Democratic crowds, both states are in stark political contrast to Illinois and are again expected to be carried by Trump this election.

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The governor's name has made it to short-lists of potential Biden replacements, but for some in the crowd in Columbus, Ohio, it was their first time really learning of Pritzker. For Sue Fuson, a Butler County resident in southwestern Ohio, she liked what she heard.

“I was definitely impressed with the way he laid out his platform and what he was for and how he got the job done, which kind of follows along the same platform as Biden," she said. "He knows how to get things done."

For Bryce Moyer, a Democrat from suburban Columbus, Pritzker could add to a roster of presidential candidates four years from now alongside U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Cory Booker of New Jersey and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

“Pritzker is one of them," he said in a July 13 interview. "Really, there's a lot of talented people on the Democratic bench who could run.”

Pritzker in Indianapolis, Columbus: Steady the ship

As a key Biden surrogate, Pritzker has been doing the rounds with local and national media reassuring voters of Biden's fitness not just through November but for a full second term.

It’s not exactly been an easy task for himself and other Democrats, he admitted to an Indianapolis crowd during a July 12 stop. His visit to the Hoosier state came two days after being caught on a hot mic in Chicago, saying “I don't like where we are,” in reference to Biden’s position in the polls, which he clarified in East St. Louis, Illinois the following day.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say that there has never been a more stressful time to be a Democrat that right now,” said Pritzker, joking with crowds in Indianapolis and Columbus that he'd offer "guided meditation" after his speech for those needing it.

Indiana last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 2008 and margins of victory from Mitt Romney to Trump in the last two elections have only grown for Republicans.

Biden is not expected to fare any better in 2024, so Indiana Dems are trying to take back the governor's office for the first time since 2005. Getting there won't be made any easier thanks to the near $1 million difference in campaign funds favoring Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Braun over Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McCormick, according to state campaign finance records.

Long seen as a political bellwether in presidential elections, Ohio also has been a right-ward shift in recent years. In 2020, Biden became the first candidate to win the presidency without winning Ohio — losing to Trump by more than eight percentage points.

This November, Dems are zeroing in on keeping U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in office as he faces Trump-endorsed Bernie Moreno. Brown, seeking a fourth term, is currently Ohio's sole Democrat in statewide office.

And while recognizing the obstacles the party has in front of them, Pritzker urged renewed energy and to stick to its core policies such as universal healthcare and codifying nationwide abortion protections.

"If we as a party can shake off the anxiety that waters down our policies and dampens our fervor, if we stop worrying about whether they might call us woke, and instead worry about whether we're actually waking people up, if we stopped being so damned afraid of a little chaos and just embraced it as the path from here to there, we will win," he said in Columbus.

Pritzker is no stranger to the Buckeye State, previously investing hundreds of thousands dollars from his own pockets to help ensure abortion access in Ohio last year.

Plans are ongoing to nominate Biden as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee in a virtual ceremony, originally needed to ensure he can appear on the Ohio ballot. The state's original ballot deadline, Aug. 7, was set before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation that pushes the deadline until after the convention ends on Aug. 22.

Michael McDaniel of The Indy Star contributed to this report.

Erin Glynn is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

Contact Patrick M. Keck: pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Pritzker rallies for Biden, Dems in stops to Indiana and Ohio