And now, from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and CNN Audio, the Axfiles, with

your host David Axelrod.

JB Pritzker had just been elected Governor of Illinois when he first sat down for the

Axfiles a little more than four years ago.

Once then, the billionaire businessman and philanthropist has navigated the state through COVID,

fiscal challenges, mass shootings, and myriad other crises.

Along the way, he's become an unlikely favorite of progressive Democrats who had been wary

and added his name to the roster of potential presidential prospects for the future.

We talked again the other day about his state and the state of our union.

Here's that conversation.

Governor JB Pritzker, good friend.

Good to see you again.

How are you holding up these days?

Great to be here with you.

Things are going pretty well.

We're busy, beautiful day here in Springfield, Illinois as we end the legislative session.

So I feel like, you know, we're going to have success ahead just because the sun's out.

It's always encouraging when a governor is in Springfield at the end of the session and says,

it's a beautiful day.

That doesn't happen all that often.

But...

Optimus, I'm an optimist.

...