Illinois Governor JB Pritzker wants Chicago DNC to energize party, city

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was all smiles Friday afternoon as he geared up for the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

He does have some concerns for the upcoming week.

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"I think we've got protesters; that happens every four years, let's be honest, at every convention," he said. "So I think that doesn't really keep me up at night, and I think my only concern is just making sure the event itself goes off well and that people know that they're going to be safe."

The governor is confident in the security plan, and that Chicago police are ready.

"This time, we've got very well-trained people," he said. "They've been training, by the way, through the Republican convention. They all went up there, learned what happened there, and have come here with I think they're in very good shape to handle any situation that arises."

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Chicago police showed off their new helicopter Friday, which will play an important role in monitoring demonstrations and other potential issues during the DNC.

"I cannot stress enough the importance of this helicopter in our public safety efforts during the DNC and for years to come," said CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling.

Democrats have had a particularly unpredictable election season and there has been a lot of build up to this convention. Can it live up to the hype?

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"Oh boy. Well, I have to say, if you look at the excitement level of the Democratic Party, and frankly, people all over the United States, independents and Republicans for the Harris-Walz ticket, you'll see that this excitement is going to last all the way through the election," Pritzker said.

But the governor still expects the election will be close.

"This is going to be a rough battle. We know that the country is divided, and that the battleground states are divided, and it's very close in all of them," he said.

Pritzker was one of the people on the shortlist for Kamala Harris' running mate, and has often been floated as a potential Democratic nominee for president one day. Does he seem himself doing that four or eight years from now?

"I'm always going to be somebody who supports Democrats and who's involved in public policy. It's something I've been doing for decades before I became governor. So you can imagine I'm going to keep doing a lot of what I have been doing, but I don't know whether I'll be in public office or not," he said.

Pritzker hopes people will come away from the DNC feeling great about their candidates and about the city of Chicago.