JB Pritzker slams Illinois GOP for hosting DeSantis as Lincoln Day Dinner speaker
Julia Johnson
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) issued a scathing statement on Thursday attacking the Illinois GOP for hosting Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) as a keynote speaker at the Peoria and Tazewell County Lincoln Day Dinner.
The Democratic governor called DeSantis “a would-be candidate who is running a distant second for the GOP nomination,” claiming that “his brand of politics flies in the face of everything the 16th president taught us about leadership.”
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The event, notably one of the largest GOP gatherings in the state, takes place Friday beginning at 4:30 p.m.
“The Tazewell County and Peoria County Republicans are proud and honored to announce the joint 2023 Lincoln Day Dinner featuring keynote speaker Florida Governor Ron DeSantis,” reads the Tazewell GOP’s website.
Tickets for the event are sold out.
“Ron DeSantis swears that he is fighting to protect people’s ‘freedoms,’ but he has no problem taking away their reproductive rights, attacking schools and libraries to limit what parents and teachers want for their students, disregarding the humanity of LGBTQ people, and failing to protect people of color seeking to live free from discrimination,” Pritzker claimed in a statement posted to Twitter.
“DeSantis has made a career of punching down and othering anyone who doesn’t subscribe to his petty tyranny, which makes him a natural fit for the GOP’s Lincoln Day dinner,” he added.
https://twitter.com/JBPritzker/status/1656699823985131520?s=20
“In Illinois, we reject the cruelty he espouses and stand firmly against his hateful agenda,” said Pritzker.
While DeSantis has not announced a bid for the White House in 2024, he is widely expected to do so in the summer months.
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The Florida governor is supported by 19% of potential Republican primary voters, according to Morning Consult. Former President Donald Trump, who announced his campaign last year, boasts 60%.
However, DeSantis is the only other potential candidate who has been able to break into double-digit support.