Think Big America, the non-profit Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker created to support pro-abortion legislation nationwide, is funneling millions of dollars into pro-abortion campaigns in Nevada and Arizona — a grim harbinger of contentious battles for life to come.
Pro-abortion coalitions in eleven states have proposed measures protecting or broadening access to abortion. But putting an initiative on the ballot in November is an expensive venture.
“To put a measure on the ballot using this method, organizers must collect a certain number of signatures based on state law,” the Daily Citizen’s pro-life expert Nicole Hunt explains. “The majority of successful campaigns hire professional signature gatherers, which is quite costly.”
Pritzker’s ideology and estimated $3.5 billion fortune make him the perfect cash cow for pro-abortion campaigns. To date, Think Big America has donated at least two million dollars to support three pro-abortion ballot measures.
Pritzker ($500,000) and Think Big ($250,000) first contributed $750,000 to support Issue 1 in Ohio, an amendment to the state’s constitution making abortion and other “reproductive freedoms” protected rights. All told, the successful campaign cost a whopping $53 million.
Now, Think Big is supporting pro-abortion campaigns in Arizona and Nevada, both of which have proposed ballot measures making abortion a constitutional right in their respective states.
The non-profit has transferred at least $1,000,000 to Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom (NRF), the Planned Parenthood-affiliated coalition collecting signatures for a pro-abortion amendment in Nevada. Think Big also hired an on-the-ground advisor in Nevada to help coordinate NRF’s petition gathering, though its unclear how much the hire costs.
The non-profit’s cash donation exceeds all NRF’s previous donations combined and will likely pay for all its petition gathering. According to Hunt, “The Nevada effort will need between $1.5 and $1.8 million to collect the signatures required to move to the next stage of the campaign effort.”
Pritzker’s money swelled NRF’s donations to exactly $1.8 million dollars, according to the coalition’s latest report.
Think Big donated an additional $250,000 in December to Arizona for Abortion Access — a tenth of what Hunt predicts the pro-abortion coalition will need to run its signature campaign.
Pritzker’s massive expenditures match his ideological and legislative record. In his five years as governor, Pritzker has:
- Dramatically expanded government funding for hospitals that provide abortions and “family planning services” that can refer women to abortion providers.
- Removed safeguards requiring parents’ consent for minors to get abortions.
- Immunize doctors who perform abortions from wrongful death lawsuits.
- Signed legislation so drastically curtailing freedom of speech that a judge later called it “stupid and very likely unconstitutional.”
But some believe the governor’s largesse serves his political ambitions more than his ideological ones.
“Politicians eyeing a White House bid often get involved in key states beyond their home base,” the Washington Post remarks, further observing,
Many … see Pritzker as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. He has sought to expand his footprint beyond Illinois, recently appearing in Iowa on behalf of the Biden campaign on caucus day.
Though Pritzker adamantly denies his own presidential aspirations, he freely acknowledges his desire to impact this year’s election.
“I want to be involved in the ’23-’24 election cycle in making sure [abortion rights] is at the forefront, and making sure we win everywhere we can,” Pritzker told the Chicago Sun-Times after funding Think Big America. “This, I think, is a natural evolution for me.”
Whipping up pro-abortion support in crucial swing states like Nevada and Arizona could also sway the outcome of the presidential election.
This strategy — gaining support for one policy issue by relating it to another, tangential policy issue — is a well-established political tool. Reporting ahead of NRF’s kick-off event last February, NBC News wrote the group would “look to drive enthusiasm [for their cause] by drawing attention to the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that found embryos created through in vitro fertilization are considered children.”
Pritzker has used his personal fortune to help elect pro-abortion candidates in the past.
A year ago, Pritzker donated $1.3 million dollars to successfully elect Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Months later, in November, Think Big America spent $250,000 to help four pro-abortion candidates in Virginia hold onto Senate seats— apparently to protect abortion access from “anti-choice extremists and their far-right allies,” a spokesperson told for the group told NBC.
Creating policy requires money, which means pro-lifers must keep a sharp eye on powerful people supporting pro-abortion initiatives and candidates — not just the issues themselves. J.B. Pritzker’s radical pro-abortion agenda and virtually unlimited ability to drive policy creation makes him a powerful opponent of creating a culture of life in America.
The Daily Citizen will keep you updated on Pritzker’s donations as they’re filed. Please petition God to open Governor Pritzker’s eyes to the plight of our most defenseless population — pre-born babies. To find out more about pro-abortion initiatives in your state, contact your local Family Policy Council.
Additional Articles and Resources
Billionaire Illinois Governor Support Pro-Abortion Policies With New Non-Profit
Pro-Life Ohioans Must Vote Against Late-Term Abortion This November
Fact Check Ture: Abortion Supporters are the Real Extremists
Contact Your State Policy Group
Focus on the Family: Option Ultrasound
Focus on the Family: Pro-Life Advocacy and Encouragement
Focus on the Family: Hope & Healing After Abortion