Pritzker Stumps For Biden In Michigan, Praises Cannabis Reform: 'Democrats Need To Win The Blue Wall States'

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker stumped for President Joe Biden in Michigan over the 4/20 weekend, and he praised the president's cannabis policy reforms and highlighted the economic benefits that states with legal cannabis have enjoyed.

"I wanted to come up here on 4/20, because we, too, legalized cannabis in the state of Illinois, and I know that's been a boon to not only state revenues but also to business and job creation in the state of Michigan," Pritzker told a crowd in Grand Rapids on Saturday.

Joined by Michigan’s state Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), Pritzker, a Democrat, said the legalization of recreational marijuana is just one of several Democratic accomplishments in Michigan since 2018, reported Michigan Advance.

"You all have turned a state that was — let's face it, a red state — into a purple state, and now a blue state. There are so many other states in the country that should be following Michigan's lead," said Pritzker, who acknowledged that it took a lot of leg work to make the switch.

"It's like the eighth-grade dance, for me, anyway. Sometimes you have to knock on three or four doors before you get somebody you can really talk to," Pritzker said. "Because you're willing to do that, you're going to have somebody to dance with. You're going to bring them to the dance."

Pritzker praised Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) as "one of the nation's greatest governors."

Biden Needs To Keep The ‘Blue Wall’

Biden, who spent much of last week campaigning in Pennsylvania will continue to defend what Pritzker called the "blue wall" that includes Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – three states that voted for Donald Trump in 2016 but flipped to Biden in 2020.

"Democrats need to win the blue wall states. It's vitally important, and Joe Biden knows it. One of the reasons we're having the Democratic National Convention here in the Midwest is because he recognizes how important this is," Pritzker said.

"Michigan sits in the middle. If we don't win Michigan, we can't win the presidency. And if we don't win Michigan, this country is going to go backwards."

In a 4/20 post on X, Pritzker joked, "To be blunt: we're proud to have sparked a new industry when we legalized adult-use cannabis."

Pritzker was a keynote speaker at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago in September 2023.

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Photo by Carlos Alvarez for Benzinga