Vice President Kamala Harris is quickly locking in Democratic support for the presidential nomination after President Joe Biden announced he's dropping out of the race.
Some Illinois Democrats immediately joined Biden in endorsing Harris on Sunday, but others held off until Monday morning. That included Gov. JB Pritzker. He is widely thought to hold presidential aspirations, but he joined other potential rivals in backing the vice president on Monday.
In a statement, the second-term governor said Harris is the most qualified person to be president, and it's time to shatter the glass ceiling by electing a woman to the nation's highest office.
Left unsaid is whether Pritzker would consider becoming Harris' running mate. State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, is a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. He thinks it's unlikely that will happen.
"Governor Pritzker would be an excellent choice to the ticket. But then again, Illinois is probably not going to vote for Trump in the first place," he said. "So, you know, it may be that they'll be more interested in some of the swing states."
Peoria County Democratic Party chairman Rick Fox said Biden's decision to step aside gives the party a chance to mend divisions and coalesce around a candidate.
"[I'm] glad this puts to rest a lot of uncertainty in the party and allows us to start moving forward to really, making the steps to get Democrats united and win in the fall," Fox said.
The internal division over the viability of the party's flag-bearer also played out in Peoria. Fox previously told WCBU the local party wasn't taking a stance on the presidential nominee because members were split on the Biden question. This came after the 81-year-old president's lackluster June debate performance brought renewed media attention to his age.
But Fox said the Peoria County Democrats' ground game is already getting an energy infusion following Sunday's announcement.
"There's a lot of volunteer interest and people willing to help us. So it seems to have, you know, got a little bit of a push for people to engage," he said. "So that's encouraging. And I think we're going to continue moving in that direction."
Koehler echoed those sentiments.
"It just is a shot in the arm. And everybody loved Joe Biden, you know and really respect him for his job and what he will continue in his presidency to the end of his term, but it was not...it was not electrifying the campaign," Koehler said.
State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, is the speaker pro tempore of the Illinois House. She believes most Democrats were in a "depression" following Biden's performance at the first presidential debate.
"The inability to pivot, to then begin to talk about what's at stake in this election, the inability to be able to begin to have that conversation, was something that was beyond troubling," she said.
Gordon-Booth, in a joint statement with Black Women of the Illinois House, publicly endorsed Harris as a presidential candidate on Monday.
She also expects the new candidate to have a positive impact on down-ballot races for Democrats throughout the state and her own 92nd District.
"I'm very excited about our prospects in having someone at the top of the ticket who can really excite the base, who can really make the case as to why former President Donald Trump is the wrong direction for us to go in as a country," Gordon-Booth said.
State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, represents much of East Peoria and Bartonville. She's also a delegate to the DNC. Chung said it's telling that so many Democratic leaders across the state have quickly gotten behind Harris. As of Monday morning, the entire Democratic congressional delegation from Illinois was on board.
“I’m really, really excited to put all my efforts into supporting Vice President Harris into being our nominee and hopefully our next president,” Chung said.
Chung said she does not want to see chaos at the Democratic National Convention next month if multiple candidates seek the nomination. Koehler said he doesn't anticipate that happening. He's backing Harris, and said she will add a "real spark" to the campaign.
"I don't really anticipate that they'll be other serious candidates trying to challenge her. This is her race now, as far as I'm concerned," Koehler said.
Fox said he's ready to vote blue no matter who is at the top of the ticket.
"Since President Biden has made the decision that he feels that someone else should take the helm, that's what we're all going to respect and work towards: electing a Democrat as president because we can't have another Trump presidency," Fox said.
The Democratic National Convention is set for Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
WGLT's Charlie Schlenker contributed to this report.
