Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is publicly confirming what many in Springfield have been whispering: He's been on a GLP-1 drug for two years, he says, after being diagnosed with diabetes and put on insulin—and he's down about 80 pounds in that time. In an interview with CBS Mornings, the billionaire Democrat said he feels "a whole lot better," walks roughly four miles most mornings, and expects to stay on the medication indefinitely at his doctor's direction. "I've been overweight most of my life," Pritzker said, with the Wall Street Journal noting that he points to his father's fatal heart attack at 39 as further motivation to slim down.
The shift comes as Pritzker is floated as a possible 2028 presidential contender—the New York Times calls it "perhaps the clearest signal that he would like to run," and notes that past would-be candidates including Chris Christie have moved to shed some pounds while weighing a run—though he insists "I have not made any decisions about what I might do in the future," and is running for a third term this November. He's also expanded state coverage of GLP-1 drugs to some 55,000 Illinois employees, arguing it will save money by reducing obesity-related illnesses. Pritzker's weight has long been a political flashpoint, drawing repeated insults from President Trump, who labeled him a "slob," with Pritzker occasionally firing back that "it takes one to know one."
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