Illinois redistricting

“We're watching what Indiana does,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said at an unrelated event in Alton on Wednesday. “We may have to react to that.”

As Indiana’s governor called a special session to redraw the state’s congressional maps, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Illinois Democrats to do the same.

The Illinois Democrat was a guest on St. Louis Public Radio’s Politically Speaking podcast.

The St. Clair County Democrat was a guest on St. Louis Public Radio’s Politically Speaking podcast.

Former federal officials are backing an effort to reform the state legislature’s redistricting process. Congressional districts would be unaffected. Illinois’ state Senate map gives a partisan advantage to Democrats, and its House map isn’t compact enough, according to researchers at Princeton

Gov. JB Pritzker touts redistricting in response to Texas, but that may not yield big Democratic gains in Illinois’ congressional delegation.

As tensions escalate, the Illinois governor won’t rule out state redistricting in mid-decade.

A case brought to the Illinois Supreme Court by House Republican Leader Tony McCombie asked the court to reject the current legislative map for its partisan bias and have a special master redraw the districts.

The maps Illinois Democrats approved in 2021 sealed in their political power for a decade — adding one Hispanic-majority blue seat in Congress and forcing two Republicans out of their districts.

Two Republicans will fight to represent a horseshoe-shaped district that takes in parts of the Metro East and the Quincy area.