Think Big America

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Think Big America could help bring national attention to Pritzker as a Democratic political figure, and speculated that it could help bolster his chances in a potential 2028 presidential campaign. He also clarified in a statement, “I know you’ve heard me say this before, but I don’t know what you thought was happening in 2023 and 2024. But for me, I was always about reelecting [President] Joe Biden and reelecting [Vice President] Kamala Harris.” ^{1 6}

Think Big America should not be confused with the Think Big America PAC, an unrelated PAC based out of Austin, Texas. ⁷

Background

Think Big America is a nonprofit advocacy organization founded by billionaire Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) in October 2023. ⁶ It is reported that Pritzker founded the organization to expand his administration’s campaigns in support of eliminating restrictions on abortion access from the state of Illinois to a national level. ¹

Think Big America announced its founding through an October 2023 YouTube video in which Pritzker claimed so-called “far-right” extremism had been expanding and that Think Big America would campaign in opposition to initiatives supporting restricting access to abortions, restricting access to books considered inappropriate to be accessed by children in school libraries, and implementing election integrity policies. ^{2 3 4} The video commended Pritzker for signing legislation that it described as making Illinois an “abortion oasis” with the “most progressive abortion protection bill in the country.” ⁵

While discussing the purpose of Think Big America, Pritzker’s staffers “likened” the organization to Tom Steyer’s NextGen America, which was allegedly created to bolster Steyer’s presidential campaign. It has also been reported that Pritzker has been funding Democratic Party campaigns and some speculated that Think Big America would expand his influence and bolster his chances at being nominated by the party in the 2028 presidential election. ^{1 6}

As of 2024, according to right-of-center watchdog group Americans for Public Trust (APT), Think Big America reportedly spent millions on supporting ballot initiatives in battleground states during the 2024 election focusing on strengthening abortion access within the respective states. The states with ballot initiatives included Maryland, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Arizona, Florida, and Nevada. ⁸

Think Big America has been described as a “dark money” group, a political activist organization that does not disclose its donors. However, a Think Big America spokesperson has said that Gov. Pritzker is the group’s only donor. ⁹

Activity

2026 Election Cycle

In 2025, Think Big America donated $100,000 to People Not Politicians for its campaign to launch a new ballot initiative in Missouri to overturn HB 1, a bill passed by the Republican legislature in 2024 that redistricted the Missouri U.S. Congressional map in favor of Republicans. ¹⁰

2024 Election Cycle

In 2024, Think Big America donated $1.2 million to support Question 6, a ballot initiative in Nevada that would create a Nevada constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to abortion before fetal viability and permitting the state to regulate abortions after fetal viability. Question 6 passed with 64 percent of the vote. ^{11 12}

Also in 2024, Think Big America spent $540,000 to support the Right to Abortion Initiative in South Dakota, which would have created a South Dakota constitutional amendment that would have prohibited the state from legalizing abortions during the first trimester, permitted regulations of second-trimester abortions when the mother’s health is threatened, and permits the state to prohibit abortions in the third trimester. The Initiative was defeated, with the opposition getting 59 percent of the vote. ¹³

In 2023, Think Big America supported Issue 1 in Ohio, a proposed state amendment that would have allowed the state to restrict abortions after fetal viability, except in cases when the mother’s life was at risk. As part of its support for abortion access, Think Big America donated $250,000 to NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio. Issue 1 passed with almost 57 percent of the vote. ^{14 15  16}

Also in 2023, Think Big America supported the election of left-leaning judge Janet Claire Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which flipped the court from a 4 to 3 conservative majority to a 4 to 3 liberal majority. ¹⁴

2022 Election Cycle

In 2022, Think Big America opposed a ballot initiative that would allow the Kansas Legislature to regulate and restrict abortion. The initiative failed, with the opposing vote getting almost 59 percent of the vote. ^{14 17}

Criticism

Think Big America has been criticized for contributing out-of-state money to support or oppose in-state ballot initiatives. For instance, after the group supported a failed ballot initiative in 2024 in South Dakota to enshrine abortion access in the South Dakota constitution, a leader of the opposition group to the initiative stated, “South Dakotans don’t want extreme Chicago, San Francisco, and New York views tainting our great state.” ¹³

People

Board of Directors

At its founding, Think Big America’s board of directors consisted of Desiree Rogers, who worked in the Obama administration; Illinois state Representative Margaret Croke (D-Chicago), and Chicago Alderperson Michelle Harris. ¹⁸

J.B. Pritzker

J.B. Pritzker is a billionaire and heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune and founder of Think Big America. In 2018, he was elected Governor of Illinois as a Democratic candidate. ¹⁹ Pritzker is also the founder of the nonprofit organization 1871, which helps people build businesses in the Chicago area. ²⁰

Multiple media outlets, including the Associated Press and the Chicago Sun Times, have speculated that Pritzker uses Think Big America to raise his public national profile to prepare for a Presidential run. ^{14 9}

Mike Ollen

On its 2024 tax filings, Mike Ollen was listed as the executive director of Think Big America. Ollen is a longtime political advisor to J.B. Pritzker, having served in his gubernatorial administration and managed his first campaign for governor. Prior to joining Pritzker, Ollen worked for numerous Democratic politicians and campaigns, including former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), former U.S. Rep. Sara Gideon (D-ME), former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D), and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX). In 2024, Ollen earned $117,000 from Think Big America. ^{16 21}