Pritzker has a 57% approval rating, so if that's what unpopular is, I can't imagine your standards for popularity.
This feels like the sort of wishcasting where people assume a Governor will be unpopular based on their ugly personal past, but turn out to be decently liked as Governor. The wishcasting that surrounded Terry McAuliffe, for example.
Based on what I’ve seen in my area I assume the positive side of that approval rating is concentrated in Chicagoland. Given that a large majority of the state’s population lives in or near Chicago, I’m not insinuating that he’s unpopular statewide. I’m saying he is unpopular in every part of the state except for Chicago and the suburbs. I suppose I didn’t really spell that out in my original post.
One thing I've noticed is every time he gives a major speech or proclamation, it tends to be Thompson Center in Chicago and not in Springfield.