"Republicans cannot know a moment of peace."

Those are the words of Governor J.B. Pritzker — the highest-ranking official in Illinois, the state I have called home for most of my life. I have never voted for Governor Pritzker, but he is supposed to serve all of us, not just those who agree with him. To hear him declare that he wishes every Republican — including millions of Illinoisans, including my own friends and family — a life without peace is horrifying, unacceptable, and disqualifying for anyone holding public office.

More than 2.4 million Illinoisans voted for Donald Trump in the last election. Does Governor Pritzker wish all of them unending turmoil? Will he wield the Governor’s office — or the Presidency he so clearly covets — to ensure it? His appearance in New Hampshire confirms that he is already forsaking his responsibilities here at home to chase a dangerous national ambition fueled by division and hatred.

This is not leadership. It is demagoguery.

Pritzker’s history of vicious rhetoric is well known. Three years ago, he called citizens protesting his disastrous mask mandates "the enemy." Now, in 2025, he openly declares that millions of his fellow citizens should never know peace. Meanwhile, his own record is abysmal: under Pritzker, Illinois continues to fall further behind Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio by nearly every economic measure.

These are not accidental remarks. They are calculated to inflame his extremist base. They are beneath the dignity of his office — and they betray any claim he might have to national leadership.

I call on Governor Pritzker to immediately retract his remarks, to apologize to all Illinoisans, and to seriously consider withdrawing from public life. His words show a profound unfitness for public service — a sickness of spirit that demands reflection and healing, not higher office.

As a property owner, an elected Republican official, and a proud citizen of Illinois, I will be considering all available legal steps to protect myself, my family, and our interests in the face of this open hostility and call for violence from the sitting Governor.

Because of rhetoric like this, J.B. Pritzker is the least fit person ever to occupy the Illinois Governor’s office — and that includes those who have gone to prison for crimes committed while in office. May God protect the United States of America — and the world — from the nightmare of Pritzker ever getting closer to the Presidency.

We, the Republicans of Illinois, instead stand with malice toward none and for charity for all — as President Lincoln, our state's greatest son and Republican, so nobly urged.