Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker creates abortion-supporting nonprofit group

Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) rolled out a new abortion rights nonprofit group on Wednesday to bolster reproductive healthcare access nationwide after the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year.

Think Big America will champion abortion ballot measures in Ohio, Nevada, and Arizona, three important battleground states, and push against “far-right extremism.”

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Since the fall of Roe, the fight over abortion has empowered Democrats to gain control of Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court and win an abortion referendum in Kansas. Democrats are hoping abortion will once again lead to gains during the 2024 election after staving off huge losses in the 2022 midterm elections. But Republicans, including presidential candidates, have stood firm on their support to limit abortion access, with several of the GOP 2024 hopefuls embracing a federal abortion ban or limiting abortion access up to 15 weeks.

“Women’s health. Abortion rights. The right to choose. These are fundamental rights regardless of your income, regardless of where you live or who you are,” Pritzker said in a video announcement for his group. “Thing Big America is committed to protecting our rights, defending our democracy, and fighting for working families.”

Pritzker signed into law one of the nation’s most liberal abortion and transgender bills in January, which provides legal protections for those seeking abortions from out of state, expands the number of abortion providers in Illinois, and requires Illinois public entities to cover abortion, among other actions.

“Over the last four years here in Illinois, we’ve secured women’s reproductive rights over and over again. We’ve become an oasis for women all across the Midwest — indeed, across the country — who seek to exercise those rights. And now, we’re simply taking this national, making sure that we’re helping people in states across the United States,” Pritzker told MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Wednesday. “We’re going to have to do this state by state because of Dobbs, because of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and that’s why this is important.

The wealthy Pritzker, worth more than $3 billion, did not make it clear how much of his own money he was pouring into Think Big America, but the group will help fund pro-abortion ballot measures. In Ohio, for example, voters will decide on Issue 1, the state constitutional right to abortion and other reproductive access rights, in November.

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Among Think Big America’s board of directors is Desiree Rogers, a former White House social secretary under President Barack Obama, and Illinois state Rep. Margaret Croke.

Pritzker is one of a handful of Democratic governors, including Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), who could launch presidential campaigns in the future.