Illinois Governor Pritzker Defends State's Congressional Map Amid Texas Redistricting Debate, Citing Procedural Differences

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has robustly defended his state's congressional map, which sees Republicans holding only 3 of 17 House districts despite Donald Trump securing 44% of the statewide vote in 2024. This defense comes amidst a national debate over gerrymandering, sparked by Texas Republicans' efforts to redraw their state's congressional lines mid-decade. Pritzker has criticized Texas's actions as an attempt to "cheat" and a violation of voting rights, while simultaneously facing accusations of hypocrisy regarding Illinois's own district boundaries.

Governor Pritzker welcomed Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled their state to Illinois to deny a quorum and block a Republican-led redistricting vote. He praised these legislators as "heroes" for standing up against what he termed an "unconstitutional" effort. "He's the one who is attempting mid-decade here — at a time when, frankly, all of us are concerned about the future of democracy," Pritzker said of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, according to NBC News.

Pritzker asserted that Illinois's redistricting process, conducted after the decennial census, followed proper legal procedures. "We held public hearings, legislative hearings. People attended them. They spoke out. There was a map that was put out. There were actually changes made to the map. And a map was passed, and it was done at the end of the census, the decennial census. So that's how it's done in this country," he explained. He contrasted this with Texas's mid-decade attempt, which he argued violates the Voting Rights Act.

However, Pritzker's stance has drawn sharp criticism from Illinois Republicans and political observers. Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie stated, "It’s rich that the governor now claims to support playing by the rules — after he enthusiastically signed into law the most gerrymandered maps in the nation," as reported by Politico. Stephen Colbert on "The Late Show" even confronted Pritzker with a visual of Illinois's convoluted district shapes, highlighting the state's reputation for heavily gerrymandered maps.

Despite these criticisms, Pritzker has not ruled out further map adjustments in Illinois if Texas proceeds with its redistricting plan. He indicated that "everything's on the table" and that Democrats must be prepared to "fight fire with fire" if Republicans continue to "toss the rulebook out." This sentiment has been echoed by other Democratic governors, including California's Gavin Newsom and New York's Kathy Hochul, signaling a potential nationwide escalation in partisan redistricting battles.