Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has seen his personal fortune grow by more than $1 billion since he took office in 2019, according to a new estimate.
The Hyatt hotel heir has also fueled speculation about a possible presidential campaign after opening up about the significant health changes he has been pursuing.
Forbes estimates that Pritzker is now worth approximately $4.2 billion, placing him among the names featured on the magazine’s 2026 World’s Billionaires list.
His wealth climbed by more than $500 million over the past year alone. Despite that increase, Pritzker fell from 979th to 1,108th among the world’s wealthiest people.
If elected president, he would become the second billionaire in a row to hold the office, following Donald Trump.
Much of Pritzker’s fortune comes from his family’s hotel empire. He also previously led a private equity firm with his brother before leaving the business in 2017.
The Pritzker family ranks among America’s most powerful wealthy dynasties, with 13 family members currently recognized as billionaires.
Our News Outlet has contacted Gov. Pritzker for comment.
Democratic rising star and billionaire Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has added more than $1 billion to his net worth since entering office in 2019
If elected, Pritzker would become the second consecutive billionaire to serve as president after Donald Trump
Pritzker has disclosed that he began taking a GLP-1 medication two years ago after receiving a diabetes diagnosis.
The 61-year-old Democrat said the treatment has helped him lose 80 pounds. In a Monday interview with CBS, he said he feels “a whole lot different and a whole lot better.”
He said his concerns about the health risks of being overweight were shaped in part by the death of his father, who suffered a fatal heart attack at age 39.
“He was actually quite an active person, even though he was overweight, and so he was on a tennis court and had a heart attack, and my mother was there, and he died in her arms,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker said the demands of public office contributed to further weight gain. His size has also made him a frequent target of mockery from Trump.
“Pritzker, I don’t know, he’s too busy eating,” Trump said at a 2024 campaign rally. “He wants to eat all the time.”
His doctor prescribed the medication after blood tests conducted two years ago showed that Pritzker had diabetes.
“My doctor said, ‘Oh, no, you’ll never come off of it. You’re going to have to do this the rest of your life, and I recommend that you take a GLP-1,’” Pritzker recalled.
He said the effects were noticeable almost immediately, with a two-pound loss during his first week and a marked reduction in his appetite.
“All of a sudden, on the third day, I was like, you know, actually, I don’t need to eat that thing,” Pritzker said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker at a White House meeting in 2018
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‘But it was the strangest feeling. Now, I’m not suggesting everything changed in a week. It didn’t happen that way.’
GLP-1s mimic a naturally occurring gut hormone, helping regulate blood sugar and curb appetite by slowing digestion and increasing feelings of fullness. They are used to treat type 2 diabetes and, in some formulations, obesity.
Common brand names include Ozempic and Wegovy, which contain semaglutide, as well as Mounjaro and Zepbound, which contain tirzepatide, a related dual GIP/GLP-1 drug.
The governor announced that Illinois is covering GLP-1s on the state insurance plan for 55,000 civil servants and says that the drug will save money by preventing other diseases.
As well as the drug, Pritzker says that he takes a four-mile walk each morning along Lake Michigan to help keep the weight off.
Asked if he was working on his image ahead of a 2028 presidential run, Pritzker replied: ‘I’ve been driven my whole life to lose weight. The fact that I am now able to do it because this GLP-1 became available is truly, like, I mean, it’s something that has meant a lot to me.
‘I have not made any decisions about what I might do in the future. I can tell you I want to be the governor of the state of Illinois for a while longer, and I’m running for reelection.’
The latest Democratic 2028 polling puts Pritzker well behind the early front-runners, despite persistent speculation that the billionaire Illinois governor could mount a White House bid.
A September Bowling Green State University/YouGov poll had Kamala Harris on 17 percent, narrowly ahead of Pete Buttigieg on 16 percent, with Gavin Newsom and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez both on 14 percent. Pritzker was not among the candidates registering support in the poll’s leading tier.
A separate Harvard CAPS/Harris survey earlier this month placed Pritzker at 4 percent, behind Harris on 42 percent, Newsom on 18 percent, Buttigieg and Ocasio-Cortez on 9 percent apiece, and Josh Shapiro and Jon Ossoff on 7 percent.
