Governor JB Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker, known for their lavish inauguration balls, throw a big party in Chicago with musical guest John Legend on the second day of the Democratic National Convention.
Invitations to the Aug. 20 Salt Shed concert were sent out Friday. Pritzker, who helped bring the convention to Chicago along with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, is also expected to speak at the convention the same day.
As heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, Pritzker has no problem spending his fortune on campaign and government expenses – or just throwing a big party. According to Forbes, Pritzker is worth an estimated $3.4 billion and is the richest incumbent politician in the USA
Pritzker’s 2023 inaugural ball was held in Springfield in a lavish building at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, where Bruno Mars entertained thousands of people. Pritzker and the first lady danced to the song “You’re Still the One” during the event. All proceeds from the sold-out event went to charity.
John Legend performs at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California in March 2020.
Maroon 5 played at the 2019 inauguration ball about three weeks before the Democratic governor’s Super Bowl appearance. Pritzker donated $800,000 to supplement ticket sales for the ball, which featured fancy chandeliers, an earth harp and a magician. Proceeds from ticket sales went to the Cabrini-Green Legal Aid Clinic and the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation.
Both appearances were kept secret until the day of the event.
The governor also hosted a George Clinton concert to celebrate former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White’s 85th birthday in 2019. The Pritzkers paid for the party, but several Illinois companies donated products.
MK Pritzker was “intimately involved in the planning” of all the parties. Both Pritzkers “love parties in general,” according to a longtime aide. The Pritzkers have also hosted cocktail hours and game nights for lawmakers at the Governor’s Mansion.
The governor has routinely dismissed questions about the cost of his inaugural balls. And just days before his swearing-in in 2019, Pritzker announced that he would use private money for some government salaries.
According to the Illinois Comptroller’s salary database and already publicly available information from the governor’s office, Pritzker paid at least $1.43 million annually to double the salaries of 20 key staff members, including four deputy governors and his deputy chiefs of staff. He has continued double salaries for key workers in his second term in office.
