If you were governor of Illinois, you might assume your primary job would be to govern Illinois. You might think that means spending time at the Capitol during session, talking to Illinois reporters, and addressing the problems that are driving people out of this state in record numbers.

Apparently, Gov. JB Pritzker has a different understanding of the job.

Recent reporting from Capitol News Illinois reveals that in 2025, the governor conducted nearly 100 one-on-one media interviews. An astonishing 81% of them were with national media outlets, podcasters, or social media personalities, not Illinois journalists, not local newspapers, and not the outlets that actually hold state government accountable.

But why would our governor do that? It is not an accident. It is a choice.

Illinois reporters ask uncomfortable questions. They ask why property taxes keep climbing. They ask why pension debt keeps swallowing the budget. They ask why businesses keep leaving and families keep packing up.

National outlets, especially fake news, are not looking for answers. They are looking for sound bites and culture war commentary. They want to sell a carefully staged version of our billionaire governor as a relatable everyman, even as he delivers scripted talking points to audiences who will never bear the cost of his policies.

It is no surprise our absentee, media-obsessed governor prefers that stage to the reality of governing Illinois.

Pritzker needs to understand that Illinois is not a prop. It is not a steppingstone. And it is certainly not a backdrop for a national audition tour.

While the governor plays to a national audience, Illinois is drowning in real problems. Our state has one of the highest tax burdens in the nation, driven largely by crushing property taxes that punish homeowners, farmers, and small businesses. Our pension debt is among the worst in America, crowding out funding for roads, schools, and tax relief. Public safety failures continue to damage our reputation. Energy costs are rising. Regulations are driving investment elsewhere.

And then there is the number that should stop any serious governor in his tracks.

Nearly 83,000 people left Illinois, according to the newest U.S. Census data.

If Pritzker cared to look, he would see this for what it is: a flashing red warning light that Illinois is on the wrong path. Families are not leaving out of confusion or misinformation. They are leaving because Illinois has become unaffordable, overtaxed, and openly hostile to growth.

People do not abandon their home state lightly. They leave when government takes more and delivers less. They leave when politicians act successful on Jimmy Kimmel Live! while Illinois families turn off the TV and confront the expensive reality of living in this state.

But where are they going? Florida. Indiana. Missouri. Tennessee. States with different politics and different cultures, but one critical similarity. Lower taxes and a better climate for working families and businesses.

The cruel irony is that as people flee, the far-left politicians of this state who caused the mess are emboldened. Government spending continues. Bureaucracy expands. Taxes remain high. That means fewer people are left holding the bag for the same bloated system. The result is predictable. Even more people leave.

If the governor and his radical Democrats are serious about Illinois, they would be laser focused on stopping that cycle.

Instead, Illinois has a governor who seems more interested in national TV hits than local results. While families do the math and decide they cannot afford to stay, the governor is busy championing progressive politics to audiences who will never feel the consequences of his policies.

Our state does not need a governor chasing applause from Hollywood media studios. It needs one willing to confront hard truths, make difficult reforms, and put Illinois residents ahead of personal ambition. Pritzker has proved again and again that he is not that governor.

Leadership is not measured in airtime or podcast downloads. It is measured by whether people stay, invest, and believe their state has a future. Illinois is losing that test, and the governor appears far more interested in changing the channel than changing course.

Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, is the Illinois state senator for the 45th District.