Congressional Democratic leader wants Illinois to super-gerrymander maps

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wants Illinois state lawmakers to redraw congressional district maps to offset Republican gains from mid-decade remapping in Texas. Illinois lawmakers aren’t eager to do it.

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is hoping Illinois redraws congressional maps to offset Republican gains from mid-decade remapping in Texas, but there’s disagreement among Illinois Democrats.

Illinois has one of the most gerrymandered maps in the nation. Based on the 2024 presidential election, 54% of Illinois voters are Democrats. But in Congress, Democrats hold 82% of Illinois’ U.S. House seats.

The new maps would put more GOP voters in districts currently held by Democrats. Some Democrats worry they may face tougher elections if their districts are redrawn.

“We have to look out and protect who we have because we fought hard to get them in,” U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Chicago, said. “I’m not a mapmaker, but it seems like it will be very difficult.”

Jeffries’ push would take an already partisan map and make it even more distorted, potentially weakening local representation and making four Democratic incumbents more vulnerable in the process. Even Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who went from promising to veto partisan maps to then approving aggressive maps, has stopped short of endorsing a mid-decade redraw, saying only he’ll “do everything I can to make sure Democrats win the Congress.”

Instead of going from gerrymandering to super-gerrymandering, Illinois should strive for fair representation. Independent redistricting commissions, open hearings and truly competitive districts would restore trust and give Illinoisans meaningful choices at the ballot box.

Jeffries may see Illinois as a key piece of his plan to win back the U.S. House, but voters deserve far better than this. Gerrymandering has only made Illinois government less representative and less accountable, leaving voters with less real say in their democracy.