(Bloomberg) -- The arrival of thousands of people in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention this week marks the culmination of years of groundwork by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to elevate the city " and himself " to the national spotlight.

The extraordinary wealth that Pritzker has at his disposal is a double-edged sword in Democratic politics," said Stephen Nelson, a political science professor at Northwestern University.

"He has this tie to a massive family fortune, but that will alienate some of the less business-friendly members of the Democratic Party."

It's a challenge Pritzker acknowledges, but believes he's overcome before.

"You all remember that back in 2018 our party was not exactly begging for me to run for governor," Pritzker said Monday at an event for Illinois Democrats in Chicago.

"No one was crying out for a white, Ukrainian-American, Jewish billionaire. I get it, I get it. But I'm a Democrat."

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As the de facto host, Pritzker will have the opportunity to be close to the people who will choose future presidential nominees, said Marc Farinella, a longtime Democratic political consultant and a senior adviser to the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

"It's widely speculated that Pritzker is interested in someday running," Farinella said. "He may very well be well-positioned to do that."

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As the de facto host, Pritzker will have the opportunity to be close to the people who will choose future presidential nominees, said Marc Farinella, a longtime Democratic political consultant and a senior adviser to the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

"It's widely speculated that Pritzker is interested in someday running," Farinella said. "He may very well be well-positioned to do that."

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Fundraising was Pritzker's entre into politics. He was among the biggest donors to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. Penny Pritzker, meanwhile, a friend and supporter of Obama's since the early 1990s, was finance chair of the former president's 2008 election campaign.

Even outside Democratic politics, the family is a veritable bingo card of elitist symbols frequently targeted by the right. Penny Pritzker heads the governing board at her alma mater Harvard University. She also served in the Biden administration as a special representative for Ukraine's economic recovery.

Tom, a cousin, is chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corp., the hotel group founded by his father Jay, and chairs Washington think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Cousin Jennifer, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, made headlines for becoming the first transgender billionaire. Other cousins include movie producer Gigi, progressive-tax advocate Liesel and Linda, a Tibetan Buddhist teacher living in Montana.

Financially, the family members " descendants of Nicholas Pritzker, a Ukrainian immigrant who arrived in Chicago in 1881 " have largely gone their separate ways over the past two decades"

#3

That's SO great!

The festivities have started.

She went from a net negative to a net positive in 3 weeks... almost unheard of in politics.

And that's from the ground up; not because of ads, but because of what the people want to see and hear; attacking the problems, not the opponent's personal attributes.

PBS raw stream... little black kids saying the Pledge.

Hillary bringing down the House!

LOL... she wasn't even tempted to stop that particular chant.

And Jaimie A+ speech!

Lots of good speakers.... the gal from Texas was terrific.

Joe is going to be up past his bedtime, lol.

12 year old girls have to carry their rapist stepfather's child to term, then raise them.

That's in 2 Conartists, chapter 1 of the Trump Bible.

Actually, you yourself are the biggest joke we've had here since... well, since your last sockpuppet.

There was no campaign put together for the first couple of weeks of Harris' campaign, so there wasn't much in ads... there was, rather, about a 10 percent swing in the polls from Joe' -6 to her now plus 4.

So it was bottom up support from the people.

Pls don't cry... the yellow color on these pages runs really easily.

---- off, TrumperBelle.

Your Party's Convention was a hate fest, this is a love fest.

#33

Sorry to witness the worthless POS you've become.

Truly sorry.

#38

Biden was more than up for the job... including the best economic recovery in the world.

But hey, we get it. Your party is a Cult now, and rather than fight the Cult like some Republicans, you've decided to obfuscate for and enable the Cult.

That's on you, Jack.

You aren't --------.

And you have no excuse.

#43

Leftier than thou trash. It's tired, it's old, and worse, it's boring and stupid.

Great speech by Biden, who's done more for his country than any Republican anyone can name.

#49

Pontificating about human rights when the opposition doesn't believe in human rights at all is counterproductive.

No one should have to explain that to you.

#48

Congrats on getting the Trump Talking Points out so quickly.

Perhaps your income will go up... but it'll still be in rubles.

- Lincoln, Ike.

LMAO! Try the current century, dumbass.

Lincoln or Ike either one would put Trump down like a dog at their first opportunity.

And his supporters next.

Chuck Grassley... who was a ghost Coup leader; standing ready to Certify Fake Electors if Pence ran away as planned.

Tom Coburn is a nobody... was always a nobody.

Maybe your aren't JeffJ. He was smarter than that.

#57

Lincoln who would have destroyed any person who dared to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power in this country by violence and Fake Election Ballots.

#60

Yeah... he really looked like someone who was 'kicked to the curb' tonight. Duh.

Your Fake Concern Trolling is tiresome. Perhaps you could be posting a new thread about Trump's Greatness from 4chan.

#64

That IS a shame. Of course, there's some of them in the Lincoln Project and Republicans for Harris.

Then there's Trump enablers like Trumpbringer.

- forcefully removing their Democratically chosen nominee

What a Drama Queen!

And what a Faux Concerned Troll.

The Lincoln Project... who may be Est Republicans, but at least they are Traitors and enablers of Traitors.

but at least they aren't Traitors and enablers of Traitors.

- the DNC had a fantastic night.

Yeah they did... and swing voters will notice the vast difference between this Love America night and Trump's Hate 3rd World America rhetoric.

- Have you not read anything about what happened behind the scenes with Biden after the debate?

One doubts that Gal read all the rwing tripe that you did.

Or would fall for it if she did.

- he won and did so legitimately.

That's hilarious. He controlled and directed the whole process, and kept out whom he wanted kept out.

It was the closest thing to a Russian President for Life election as you'll ever see.

- Joe isn't angry and bitter but is sincerely and enthusiastically supporting the Harris/Wals ticket now.

"Inconceivable!" - TrumpWorld

Rumpdinger's faux concern about Dem Party procedures is laughable.

One need only to have paid attention to the crowd and the speakers to know how they felt.

Rwingers are in mourning today over the death of their dreamed-for 1968 Riot Repeat, rofl!

And I just saw Trump at today's 'rally', where he's so low energy he barely has enough breath to lie about Gen Kelly, which he tripled down on.

Sad!