Pritzker ad fact check: Pritzker’s policies have hurt small business, working mothers

Gov. J.B Pritzker’s latest campaign ad praises his support for small businesses even though his policies contributed to one of the nation’s largest small business closures.

A TV ad for Gov. Pritzker’s re-election campaign credits him for providing a “life raft” for Illinois small businesses. But the data don’t indicate Illinois policy choices during the pandemic supported the small business community enough to keep it healthy, as 35% of the state’s pre-pandemic small businesses were still closed a year into COVID-19.

In terms of overall jobs, Illinois has experienced the worst recovery of any Midwest state, and the eighth worst in the country. Many Illinoisans waited for weeks before their claims were resolved during the height of the pandemic.

Pritzker’s campaign ad also paints a rosy picture for families who struggled during the pandemic, but fails to mention the $5.4 billion he’s added in tax and fee hikes and extensive school closures, which contributed to working mothers being forced out of the workforce.

Pritzker is trying to pivot away from annual tax hikes and is now proposing $1 billion in temporary tax relief, which will give voters relief until the summer after his next election.

He’s made no mention of how to address Illinois’ population decline. Illinois’ population declined by a record 113,776residents from July 2020-July 2021, according to estimates released Dec. 21 by the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2021, only New York saw a greater population decline than Illinois.

If the governor’s top priority is improving the lives of Illinoisans, he should start by addressing the financial problems that drive up state spending – and taxes – to make Illinois a place people want to stay in – and move to. The Illinois Policy Institute’s five-year fiscal plan  – Illinois Forward 2023 – offers a path to balancing the budget, creating opportunities for real tax relief that could bring residents back to Illinois.