

Pritzker is seeking the Democratic nomination for the chance to take on Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner along with another wealthy rival, Chris Kennedy of the iconic political family. Two others seeking the nomination — 47th Ward Ald. Ameya Pawar and state Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston — have warned Democrats they should not try to combat Rauner's wealth by nominating a wealthy candidate and have sought support among populist progressives in the party.



Pritzker, who put $7 million into his campaign fund Friday, said he will push for a graduated state income tax to replace the state constitutionally mandated flat tax rate. He said his own wealth makes him the best-positioned candidate to go up against Rauner, a wealthy former equity investor, on the issue.



"I'm the best person in a general election to stand up to Bruce Rauner and say, 'It's time to implement a progressive income tax,' that Bruce Rauner should pay a higher tax than someone who makes $30,000 a year, and so should I. And we need to raise wages in this state and create jobs and you (Rauner) haven't created any. I have," he said.



But Pritzker also said changing the constitution isn't something that would happen quickly. It takes a three-fifths majority of lawmakers in the House and the Senate to put a proposed constitutional amendment before voters. Such a proposal is unlikely until at least 2020, which would not provide any quick revenue fix for the state.



"When you think about how we're going to get there, the progressive income tax is hugely important — for a variety of reasons — to talk about now so that you can get it done in a reasonable amount of time," Pritzker said. "You know we could get it done in the second year of a new administration."



Asked about his ability to work with veteran Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, Pritzker said governors "don't get to choose … who the speaker is."



"I'm an independent thinker and independent leader. I have been my whole life," he said.



Rauner, Pritzker said, is seeking a second term by asking people to forget about his first term.



"He's now campaigning for re-election pretending the last 2 1/2 years didn't happen, as if to say it's his agenda going forward, but we should just forget that 2 1/2 years have gone by," Pritzker said of Rauner.



Pritzker said Rauner has shown a lack of leadership in trying to negotiate a state budget, leading to the state's historic impasse.



"When you're governor, you've got to step up to the plate, you've got to make a proposal for a balanced budget. That's the requirement. And then you've got to sit down and negotiate if the folks that you need to work with disagree with you on points," he said.



"Instead, what did he do? He went into the room. He said, 'Great, lay all of your ideas on the table.' They did. Then he walks out of the room and lambasts all the people in the room. And then he walks back into the room and says, 'Great, let's keep negotiating.' And then he walks out of the room and lambasts every one of the proposals and then walks back into the room. And that's his idea of negotiating," Pritzker said.