![Pritzker launches self-funded nationwide abortion rights advocacy organization Pritzker launches self-funded nationwide abortion rights advocacy organization](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/PRITZKER-AG-0496-wU4fFC-1024x682.jpeg)
Pritzker launches self-funded nationwide abortion rights advocacy organization
By HANNAH MEISEL
Capitol News Illinois
hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com
Gov. JB Pritzker is self-funding the launch of a new political advocacy group aimed at fighting for abortion rights across the U.S. – an extension of sizable donations he’s been making in Democratic politics for several years.
The billionaire governor, whose rising national profile had garnered feverish speculation about a run for president in 2024, launched Think Big America on Wednesday. TBA is a nonprofit issue advocacy group similar to one he set up four years ago to push for a graduated income tax in Illinois, which ultimately fell short at the ballot box.
In a video announcement published Wednesday, Pritzker said he believed a “far-right agenda” has already taken hold in many places in the U.S.
“The end of reproductive rights. Widespread book bans. A rollback of voting rights and civil rights. The erosion of trust in our institutions,” the governor counted off against a background of tense music. “That will be our permanent reality if we don’t act now.”
Nonprofits like the 501(c)4-classified Think Big America are often referred to as “dark money” groups, as they’re not required to disclose their donors. But a spokesperson for the group said as there are currently no donors to the nonprofit aside from Pritzker, there’s no secret about where the money’s coming from.
“And when the time comes – or if the time comes that we should solicit donations from others, we’ll sort of cross that bridge when we come to it,” the spokesperson said of future transparency in funding the group.
Pritzker’s camp declined to disclose how much he put into the group to get it off the ground, but it said the organization has enough seed money to fulfill current commitments, including helping with abortion rights ballot measures in Ohio and Nevada.
Reproductive rights organizations in Ohio have already received a boost from Pritzker and his campaign staffers who will now officially be part-time staffers at Think Big America. Ahead of Ohio’s August primary election, Pritzker contributed $250,000 to Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom, which was fighting a constitutional amendment that would’ve made it more difficult to amend the state’s constitution. His donation was the second-largest to the group.
Republicans in Ohio had proposed the ballot measure to put barriers in place ahead of another planned referendum that will be decided by voters in November: whether to enshrine abortion rights into Ohio’s state constitution.
In addition to the governor’s money, leading staffers from Pritzker’s 2022 campaign also helped in this summer’s efforts in Ohio, providing strategic support like poll and messaging development. Pritzker campaign manager Mike Ollen was also in Ohio for Election Day this summer and will continue to be active in the issue as part of Think Big America.
Pritzker staffers have already provided similar strategic support in the nascent stages of abortion rights ballot measures in Nevada and Arizona. It’s often difficult for issue campaigns to attract staffers when statewide and national candidates are competing for the same pool of people. To bridge that resource gap, the group’s spokesperson said TBA would help organizers who “know best in their home states.”
Think Big America’s board of directors includes three Pritzker allies: State Rep. Margaret Croke, D-Chicago, who worked in the governor’s administration before running for office in 2020; Chicago Ald. Michelle Harris, whom Pritzker unsuccessfully backed for head of the state Democratic Party after longtime chair Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan resigned in 2021; and Desirée Rogers, a former Obama White House staffer who also chaired Chicago tourism board Choose Chicago.
The governor, who made abortion rights a centerpiece of his re-election campaign last year, touts Illinois as a haven for abortion-seekers coming from states whose Republican-led governments have clamped down on abortion access since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer.
Pritzker also contributed $201,000 to last year’s effort to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment that would’ve severely restricted abortion access in Kansas. Earlier this year he spent more than $1 million on Wisconsin Democrats’ successful efforts to flip that state’s supreme court – a race where abortion access played an outsized role.
While the group will be exclusively focused on assisting with abortion rights ballot measures for now, Pritzker and the staffers are eyeing involvement in future fights over LGBTQ+ issues, including gender-affirming care, and book bans.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.
Local News
![MaryStanek Mary Stanek](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MaryStanek-768x1024.jpg)
Enjoy summer while we have it
Spread the love. . By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Congratulations to all who have celebrated with spring festivities. They are winding down now, the Communions, Confirmations and now graduations. Thoughts turn to summer vacations and hot dogs on the grill. It…
![kathyheadley2021 Kathy Headley](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/kathyheadley2021-869x1024.jpg)
Senior citizen golf tourney is here
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . It is almost time for the 41st Senior Amateur Golf Championship at Marquette Park, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23, this year. Registration is now open at marquettepark.cpdgolf.com/events or…
![MtC Prov 2 Providence's Enzo Infelise dives into third for an RBI triple with Pancho Vazquez ready to field the throw. Photo by Xavier Sanchez](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MtC-Prov-2-1024x683.jpg)
Baseball | Providence edges Mount Carmel in extras to punch ticket to state
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After a stirring upset of unbeaten Nazareth to win the Class 4A Reavis Sectional championship, Mount Carmel’s bid for a trip to the state finals ended with a 3-2 extra-inning loss to Providence in the supersectional round. Celtics shortstop Jackson Smith’s single off Matt Murphy drove in Eddie Olszta…
![MtC-Naz play at plate MtC-Naz play at plate](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MtC-Naz-play-at-plate-scaled-e1717478271542-1024x646.jpg)
Baseball Class 4A Sectionals | Third straight state title eludes history-making Nazareth
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent After back-to-back Class 3A state titles in 2022 and 2023, Nazareth jumped to Class 4A this season and did not miss a beat. The Roadrunners cruised to 37 straight victories heading into their sectional championship matchup with Mount Carmel. The Caravan scored two late runs in a tight contest…
![MtC bsball Sect trophy MtC bsball Sect trophy](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MtC-bsball-Sect-trophy-1024x683.jpg)
Mount Carmel dethrones unbeaten, two-time defending champ Nazareth for sectional title
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent Mount Carmel came into its Class 4A sectional matchup against Nazareth viewed as the underdog. The favored Roadrunners did, after all, enter the game 37-0 and were gunning for a third consecutive state championship. The Caravan have respect for the Roadrunners, but they would never call themselves an underdog;…
![MARIST JUBY Marist's Nathen Toth (3) was named the boys volleyball state finals MVP by the Illiniois Volleyball Coaches Association. File photo](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MARIST-JUBY-scaled-e1718139510790-877x1024.jpg)
Marist tops York for its fourth boys volleyball state title
Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent What does it take to make a state champion? “We had guys that I’ve been hard on for nine months,” Marist boys volleyball coach Jordan Vidovic said. “All for a five-point stretch. “None of them ran away from the challenge.” How big were some of those five-point stretches? The…
![TATUMN Red Stars defender Tatumn Milazzo, an Orland Park native, is looking forward to fans making a lot of noise for the team at the June 8 Wrigley Field match. Photo by Jeff Vorva](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TATUMN-1024x678.jpg)
Red Stars ready for Wrigley
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent After weeks of hype and anticipation, the Chicago Red Stars are finally ready to invade Wrigley Field. While the Red Stars may not draw the NWSL record of 34,130 spectators they were hoping for on June 8, they do have a shot to surpass the franchise record 23,951, which…
![RICHARDS BASKETBALL Jamal Thompson is the new boys basketball coach at Richards.](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/RICHARDS-BASKETBALL-831x1024.jpeg)
Area Sports Roundup | New coaches named at Richards and Stagg
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A few area high school coaching vacancies have been filled, including those for Richards boys basketball and Stagg football. Jamal Thompson takes over at Richards for Kyle Rathbun. Thompson has experience coaching at Seton, Leo and St. Rita. Jacob O’Connor will lead Stagg football, where he takes the reins…
Neighbors
![dvn 6-24-24 Alan_Morales Alan Morales](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/dvn-6-24-24-Alan_Morales.jpg)
Lyons Mental Health Commission pulls LeaderShop funding
Spread the loveExecutive director accused of harassment From staff reports The local nonprofit service community was jolted when nearly $300,000 in mental health funds was withdrawn by a Lyons Township agency from the Western Springs LeaderShop, a social service agency that has provided youth programs for nearly 40 years. The Lyons Township Mental Health Commission…
![SRP-IMAGE-Logo SRP-IMAGE-Logo](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/SRP-IMAGE-Logo-1024x560.png)
Mount Carmel, Marist and Oak Lawn among 84 teams at Riverside-Brookfield shootout
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent High school boys basketball does not stop in March and pick back up in late autumn. For many players, playing hoops is a year-round commitment. AAU ball is a big reason for, that there are summer camps, shootouts or other events at most schools during the summer. The…
![PeggyZabicki Peggy Zabicki](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/PeggyZabicki-1024x768.jpg)
Dog lovers to celebrate ‘Fur of July’
Spread the love. By Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . I’m starting out with some fun news. The West Lawn Dog Park Advisory Council will be hosting a Fur of July Pet Parade on Saturday, June 29 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at West Lawn…
![MaryStanek Mary Stanek](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/MaryStanek-768x1024.jpg)
Fourth of July not happy for everyone
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Happy Fourth of July. Cannot believe I am already saying that, time sure goes. Hope it is safe and quiet for everyone and especially all of our house pets. For us its shutting…
![kathyheadley2021 Kathy Headley](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/kathyheadley2021-869x1024.jpg)
St. Rita’s transformation is worth a look
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . St. Rita of Cascia Church, 63rd and Fairfield, continues to undergo its transformation from the sunflowery/harvest golds and browns of the 1960s and 1970s to the calming pastels of the 2000s. Since the basilica-style church…
![NAEHER Alyssa Naeher clears a ball at North Carolina on June 23 in a 3-1 Red Stars loss. IMAGN photo](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/NAEHER-1024x712.jpg)
Loss to Courage brings Red Stars’ winless streak to five games
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Red Stars historic start to the season is all but forgotten. In the last five matches, the Red Stars have failed to win, with the latest setback being a 3-1 loss on the road to North Carolina on June 23 in an NWSL battle. The Red Stars…
![SRP-IMAGE-Logo SRP-IMAGE-Logo](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/SRP-IMAGE-Logo-1024x560.png)
Summer League Basketball | Illinois powers compete at Riverside-Brookfield Shootout
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent School’s out for the summer, but high school athletes across Illinois are remaining active during the summer sports season. This includes basketball players, who can be found at camps, open gyms, camps and even weekend tournaments. Among the more high profile hoops action in the area was the Riverside-Brookfield…
![Dana RETTKE Dana Rettke, a graduate of Riverside-Brookfield High School, will play on the U.S. women's volleyball team at the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Paris.](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/RETTKE.jpg)
Dana Rettke and Ryan Murphy heading to Paris Summer Games
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Area fans of the Summer Olympics will have extra reasons to cheer athletes from the United States in the upcoming Paris Games. Dana Rettke of Riverside is a member of the U.S. women’s volleyball team and Palos Heights native Ryan Murphy will represent the country in swimming. Rettke, a…
![kathyheadley2021 Kathy Headley](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/kathyheadley2021-869x1024.jpg)
Hope Church feeds the hungry at Marquette Park
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . Last week on the way to our CAPS meeting at the Marquette Park Fieldhouse, I stopped in at the Tuesday Community Dinner hosted by Hope Church every week in the auditorium. Pastors Ben and Jordyn…
![dvn 6-16-24 Hadi Isbaih Hadi Isbaih](https://southwestregionalpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/dvn-6-16-24-Hadi-Isbaih.jpg)
Palos Heights tax preparer convicted of Covid-relief fraud
Spread the loveFrom staff reports A Palos Heights tax preparer who operates a business in Bridgeview has been convicted on federal charges for fraudulently assisting customers in obtaining loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago on June 10 convicted Hadi Isbaih, 42, on all…