Gov JB Pritzker Weighs in on Vital Topic — How Does He Rank His Favorite 'Star Wars' Movies?
Agree or disagree, it's clear that JB has put his heart and soul into the 'Star Wars' fandom, and he was quick to offer his rankings.
Published Nov. 25 2025, 3:08 p.m. ET
Politicians are expected to weigh in on important topics on the daily. From questions about domestic policies to concerns about foreign wars, they're always expected to be on their game and ready with an educated answer.
But sometimes, reporters ask the tough questions.
But sometimes, reporters ask the tough questions, such as: What are your rankings for all of the Star Wars movies? The governor of Illinois, billionaire JB Pritzker, gave the world the tea. He's best known for his role as governor and hard-hitting comments pushing back against the administration of President Donald Trump. But JB is also a diehard Star Wars fan. So, he was quick to provide his answer.
Here's what JB Pritzker thinks about the ranking for 'Star Wars' movies.
Luckily, JB is willing to weigh in and share his thoughts on the important topics. In a late November 2025 interview with Axios, JB dishes on what rankings he places the 11 major Star Wars movies in.
And, agree or disagree, it's clear that the Governor of Illinois knows his stuff.
He told Axios that his rankings go thus:
- The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Star Wars (1977)
- Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Rogue One (2016)
- The Last Jedi (2017)
- Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- The Force Awakens (2015)
- Solo (2018)
- The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Attack of the Clones (2002)
- The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
This isn't the first time the world has been treated to the knowledge that the governor of Illinois is a major Star Wars nerd, just the latest iteration. While some Return of the Jedi diehards may take exception to his ranking Empire Strikes Back above it, and Rogue One seems like a surprising placement, most fans will agree that his rankings are at least fair, if not entirely accurate.
Will Democrats run Pritzker 2028?
Even though he's a billionaire, JB is a relatable figure for many, and his hard-hitting comments during Trump's second administration have raised the interesting question: Will JB run for President on the Democratic ticket in 2028?
And the answer is: We don't know yet. JB sat down with NBC's Meet the Press in August 2025 and dished on his plans for the future, but they were unhelpfully vague. For now, JB is focusing on the near future. In August 2025, he answered, "I can't rule anything out, but what I can rule in is that no matter what decisions I make, and I mean in particular about what I do here in the State of Illinois, is about the people of Illinois."
But the governor of Illinois added, "Indeed, any future decisions of mine will always be guided by that."
Of course, a fair argument could be made that the people of Illinois might be best served by a JB Pritzker Presidency.
Whether or not JB chooses to run in 2028, he has quickly become one of the Democratic Party's more popular national leaders, with his fearless fighting style proving that there are leaders in the party who are ready to go to the mat.