Illinois Governor JB Pritzker reported $8.5 million in taxable income for 2025, according to partial tax returns released Thursday, offering a limited view of the billionaire Democrat's finances ahead of the Nov. 3 gubernatorial election. The figure represents a decrease from the $10.3 million reported for 2024.
The reduction in reported income partly reflects over $2.4 million in “other subtractions” on the couple’s state tax returns. However, the specifics of these subtractions remain unclear, as Pritzker’s campaign has only shared partial copies of state and federal returns since his first campaign in 2017. Campaign spokesman Alex Gough explained that the subtractions involve income reported federally but exempt from Illinois state taxation, without providing further detail.
According to the returns, the Pritzkers paid $422,260 in state income tax and $2.2 million in federal income tax for 2025. Trusts benefiting Pritzker, whose family fortune originates from Hyatt Hotels and various other holdings, paid $8.8 million in state taxes and $50.4 million federally, the campaign said. The governor’s net worth was recently estimated at $4.2 billion by Forbes.
Pritzker, seeking an unprecedented third term and running against Republican Darren Bailey, did not report significant gambling winnings in 2025, unlike in 2024 when his and First Lady MK Pritzker’s tax returns disclosed $1.4 million in blackjack proceeds from a Las Vegas trip.
Almost all of Pritzker’s reported income in 2025 came from investments, including $4 million in capital gains, $3.6 million in dividends, and $1.8 million in interest. The governor has not accepted a salary during his nearly eight years in office, having transferred control of his personal investments to an independent trustee in 2018 as part of a conflict-of-interest measure. Nevertheless, experts have questioned the blind trust arrangement, noting trustees provide information necessary for Pritzker’s financial disclosures.
Charitable contributions by JB and MK Pritzker declined to $1.9 million last year from $3.3 million in 2024. The governor also contributed $25.5 million to his own reelection campaign and nearly $7.2 million to federal candidates and political action committees in 2025. Of the federal contributions, $5 million was directed to Illinois Future PAC, which backed his running mate Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in a Democratic U.S. Senate primary.
Additionally, Think Big America, a dark money organization founded by Pritzker to support abortion rights nationally, received $5 million in contributions during 2025. The group does not disclose its donors, but Pritzker’s campaign has stated he is its sole funder.
The campaign also released the 2025 tax returns for Pritzker’s current running mate, former Deputy Governor Christian Mitchell. Mitchell earned $463,693 in taxable income and paid $113,369 in federal and $22,593 in state taxes. Mitchell left his position at the University of Chicago last year to join the gubernatorial campaign.
Bailey’s campaign has not disclosed tax returns for the former state lawmaker or his running mate, Aaron Del Mar.