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State Week: Pritzker stands by Biden, at least publicly

State Week 23 logo (capitol dome)
Brian Mackey
/
NPR Illinois

President Joe Biden is facing calls to withdraw from being the Democrat's nominee. After a disastrous debate performance, many within his party now question his mental competency and if he can defeat Republican Donald Trump.

One of Biden's strongest allies has been Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. This week, Pritzker offered advice for the president, but added he expects Biden to be on the ticket this fall.

All of this comes as Chicago is preparing to host the Democratic National Convention in August.

Our panel discusses the situation, as well as the Republican National Convention next week and how the state ended the fiscal year. While Illinois' fiscal situation has improved, there are concerns that revenue growth is slow.

Host Sean Crawford is joined by Professor Emeritus Charlie Wheeler and Chicago Tribune Chief Political Reporter Rick Pearson.

The former director of the Public Affairs Reporting (PAR) graduate program is Professor Charles N. Wheeler III, a veteran newsman who came to the University of Illinois at Springfield following a 24-year career at the Chicago Sun-Times.
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