Chicago City Wire

J.B. Pritzker has yet to weigh in on Cook County's new tax on sweetened beverages, and the Illinois Republican Party suggests that's because the Democratic gubernatorial candidate is afraid of backwash.

“Could it be that Pritzker is just so thankful for the Cook County Democratic Party's endorsement that he refuses to take on their reckless members and stand up for taxpayers?” Illinois GOP spokesperson Steven Yaffe wrote in a press release.

Yaffe also pointed to Pritzker’s running mate, Juliana Stratton, who has close ties to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, as a potential reason for Pritzker’s silence.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle

A recent poll shows crumbling support for Preckwinkle, who has championed the tax, according to Capitol Fax. The poll, conducted by We Ask America, shows that 68 percent of respondents, all of whom were Cook County registered voters, disapproved of her performance and 75 percent disagreed with a statement saying they would vote for her regardless of any campaign challengers. Nearly 85 percent of respondents noted that her deciding vote in favor of the beverage tax makes them less likely to vote for her re-election.