In May, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office made it clear that the state was not prepared to give the Chicago Bears help for funding their new stadium project unless the team had something substantial to offer taxpayers.
Three bills were introduced in the Illinois General Assembly that would have helped the Bears expedite the process of building in Arlington Heights, but all three failed to pass before the end of the spring session.
J.B. Pritzker is running again in 2026
© Megan Smith / USA TODAY NETWORK
On Thursday, Bears ownership and CEO Kevin Warren received big news from Pritzker’s camp about the political sphere in Illinois. Pritzker revealed he plans to run for a third term as governor amid speculation he could run for president in 2028.
Pritzker plans on running on the same policies that have defined his first two terms, and he reiterated his beliefs in fiscal responsibility, which does not bode well for the Bears’ plans to build a new stadium.
“I ran for governor in 2018 to change our story,” Pritzker said via a transcription from Rick Pearson of the Chicago Tribune. “I ran for governor in 2022 to keep telling our story. And I am running for governor in 2026 to protect our story.
“Because our story is now one of fiscal responsibility, of social accountability, of modern adaptability. Our story values love over hate, courage over fear, kindness over cruelty. Our story doesn’t have a cult telling us what to believe, or sycophants telling us what to say, or a king telling us what to do.”
The Chicago Bears are going to have to work with Pritzker
The Bears’ plan to have shovels in the ground by the end of 2025 doesn’t seem likely to come to fruition at this point. It looks questionable if the team will even begin to start building in 2026, if Warren is going to depend on government help for the infrastructure to support the project.
The team might have hoped to have a new governor to work with after the 2026 election, but unless voters knock out the incumbent, that won’t happen.
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