Gov. JB Pritzker said Tuesday he has chosen Christian Mitchell, a former top aide and Illinois lawmaker who played a key role in developing the governor’s energy policy, as his third term running mate.

“I’m really most excited to keep moving Illinois forward. You’re seeing in Washington quite a bit of chaos,” Mitchell said in an interview Tuesday morning. “The progress we’ve made in Illinois is more important than ever, and is more important to protect now than ever.”

The role on Pritzker’s 2026 ticket is opening up as the state’s two-term lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, is running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. The office could receive more attention this year as Pritzker looks to keep building his legacy in the state while also raising his national profile ahead of a potential 2028 presidential bid.

In a short video put out by Pritzker’s campaign, Mitchell reflected on the influences in his life that included his mother, who he said was a nurse for 38 years at Rush University Medical Center, and his grandfather, a U.S. Army sergeant and union steelworker “who stepped in and filled the void for me.”

“They both taught me what it was like to care about your family and work really hard, how you continue to move forward in difficult times,” Mitchell said in the video. “That’s why I wanted to go into public service, because as difficult as life can be, I believe it can be a little bit easier if you’ve got leaders in government who care about working families, making life more affordable, making healthcare more accessible.”

As a member of the Illinois House, Mitchell represented parts of Chicago’s South Side from 2013 to 2019. During the 2018 election cycle, Mitchell also served as the executive director of the Illinois Democratic Party, becoming the first African-American to hold the position.

He was a deputy governor in the Pritzker administration from 2019 to 2023 and a lead strategist on energy issues, including one of the nation’s ambitious climate laws, the landmark 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act that called for the state to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy over the next 25 years.

Since 2023, he’s overseen government relations and other offices at the University of Chicago, his alma mater. In addition, he was appointed by Pritzker last year to the board of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which owns McCormick Place and Navy Pier.

“As a state representative, as the deputy governor of this state, Christian Mitchell has gotten so much done for people,” Pritzker said in the video introducing his running mate. “And I know when we’ve got to take on (Republican President) Donald Trump and overcome the challenges he’s bringing to our state, that Christian Mitchell is up for that fight.”

Lieutenant governors in Illinois are constitutional officers with few constitutionally ordained duties, the most important of which is to take over for a governor who is incapacitated, deceased, quits or is removed from office.

Prior to Mitchell’s selection, Democratic strategists in Illinois told the Tribune the key factors Pritzker would likely seek in a running mate were the ability to run the state if needed and compatibility with the governor as a work partner.

Mitchell on Tuesday said he and Pritzker are “very close.”

“Ultimately, we really see public service the same way. At the end of the day, it’s about waking up every day trying to make life better for the people of Illinois,” he said. “It’s really that shared vision and the ability to actually execute upon it that sets Gov. Pritzker apart as a leader, and I think my ability to help with that is a valuable part of why he’s chosen me.”

The billionaire governor has repeatedly said he loves his job he and has made no formal announcement on whether he’d run for president. Still, Pritzker’s reelection kickoff last week repeatedly hit on national themes, which only amplified the view that he could make a bid for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. If successful, Mitchell would become governor.

“I feel very confident in my ability to do that, and clearly (Pritzker) does as well, given that he selected me, but at the end of the day, we’re focused on the jobs that we’re running for,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell’s selection will lead to a close examination of his record as a deputy to Pritzker and as a state lawmaker.

Last year, the Tribune reported that three years after Illinois passed the climate law Mitchell led, which aims for 40% renewable energy by 2030, the state wasn’t meeting its annual clean energy goals. In 2023-2024, 7% of the state’s retail electricity came from wind and solar, far less than a goal of 22% included in CEJA, according to data from the Illinois Power Agency.

Climate experts interviewed by the Tribune last year didn’t blame the law or the governor for the shortfall, and one state climate adviser at the time noted Illinois was already behind on its goals when the law passed.

The state could face additional headwinds in its infrastructure and energy progress from a presidential administration unfriendly to many renewable energy initiatives.

“We remain a leader on clean energy in the Midwest. I’ll tell you one thing that’s not going to help is the package that we’re seeing in Washington that would effectively destroy the clean energy industry across the United States,” Mitchell said Tuesday, referring to the Republican led-mega bill in Congress that’s expected to cut back on federal support for a transition away from fossil fuels.

At the University of Chicago, Mitchell said his responsibilities included creating partnerships for the university and investing in local economic development. One project he worked on was a partnership between the university’s medical center and the City Colleges of Chicago for a planned health and life science building in Washington Park, he said.

In the days leading up to Tuesday’s announcement, the governor repeatedly said he wanted a lieutenant who cares about all parts of the state. Mitchell, who like Pritzker has deep ties to Chicago, said he plans to make himself available statewide.

“As goes Illinois, so Chicago and vice versa,” Mitchell said. “My intention as lieutenant governor, following the leadership and direction of the governor, is to be everywhere, to go everywhere across the state.”