On Nov. 1, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton, and candidate for Lieutenant Governor Christian Mitchell met a packed room of rowdy supporters at Sidetrack as part of a push to get out the vote on Nov. 3.
The wildly enthusiastic audience interjected colorful comments during the appearance, galvanizing the speakers even more.
Activist and and Sidetrack co-owner Art Johnston introduced Stratton, who is running for a Senate seat for Illinois. She noted that incumbent gubernatorial candidate Pritzker has been calling for a “blue Congress.”
When an audience member shouted out, “Fuck Trump,” Stratton quipped, “I didn’t say it.”
Pritzker later asked the crowd, “Are you ready for the fight?”
He elaborated by saying, “This time around it’s not okay to not vote…I know many people say we’re a blue state and we’ll always be blue. But we don’t want to merely win this election…we want to overwhelm the senate and congress. After this election, this may be the last time we get to defend gay rights.”
Pritzker spoke about his activist mother bringing him to LGBTQ+- rights events in his youth, and quoted Johnston, who has said, “If you’re not fighting tooth and nail, you’re not doing it right.”
Pritzker also reflected on serving in public office during the appearance. He said, “I learned you don’t lie, you don’t cheat, you don’t make your family wealthy…you just tell the truth and help the people around you.”
