Sir Richard Spirit
Superstar
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries traveled to Illinois Monday to urge lawmakers and African-American Congress members to support redrawing of the state's Congressional maps mid-decade.
"Donald Trump has unleashed this unprecedented gerrymandering on the country. We've never seen anything like this," Jeffries told a group of Chicago reporters.
New Congressional maps are typically redrawn every 10 years following the new censuses, so it is highly unusual to redistrict in the middle of a decade. The controversy over redrawing maps began in Texas earlier this year at the request of President Donald Trump, as his party tries to gain an advantage in the 2026 midterm elections.
Citing the Trump administration's moves to flip Democratic Congressional seats in Texas, Missouri, and other states, Jeffries is hoping to counter those actions in Illinois and other Democrat-led states.
As state lawmakers head to Springfield this week for a veto session, Republican leaders do not want to see redistricting on the agenda.
"We in Illinois, being in the superminority, are living under the most gerrymandered map in the nation. So we certainly want a fair map, but this is not the way to do that," said Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna.
The Princeton Gerrymandering Project gave Illinois' maps an "F" in its 2021 Redistricting Report Card.
Behind closed doors, Jeffries met in Chicago Monday with U.S. Reps. Jonathan Jackson, Robin Kelly, Lauren Underwood and Danny Davis, along with state Sen. Lakesia Collins, the joint chairman of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. Jeffries then traveled to Springfield to meet with Democratic legislative leaders, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch and Illinois Senate President Don Harmon.
Questions remain, though, about whether the Illinois General Assembly will have the votes to redraw the maps. The Illinois Senate Black Caucus has raised concerns new maps could dilute the Black vote, and Congress members who are Black could lose their seats.
"When I see a map, that dilution of Black votes, I will be on the state Senate floor advocating and articulating ... for it to be struck down," said state Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago) who is also a Congressional candidate for Illinois' 2nd District.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker played it coy when questioned Monday about whether state lawmakers will take up the issue this week at the state Capitol.
"That's something I think we're all going to have to look at during the process here, but it doesn't have to happen during the veto session. It could happen after that, but right now, I think there's just a lot of conversation going on," Pritzker said.
The push to redraw Illinois' maps comes the same day as candidates began filing their nominating petitions for next year's elections. If Illinois Democratic lawmakers secure the votes to redraw the maps mid decade, it's unclear whether the petitions filed by candidates on Monday would have to be redone.
Of Illinois' 17 Congressional districts, three are currently held by Republicans. Jeffries would not say whether Democrats are hoping to gain one Congressional seat or as many as two or three. McCombie, one of two top Republican leaders at the Illinois State Capitol, said she believes Democrats' goal is to flip the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood. NBC Chicago reached out to LaHood's spokesperson for comment, but his office has not yet weighed in.
A redistricting battle is also coming to a head in nearby Indiana.
On Monday, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun announced he is calling a special session for its state lawmakers to vote on a new map that would add one more Republican seat. The seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, who represents northwest Indiana. It is unclear if both houses have the votes to pass the new maps in Indiana.
Mrvan represents me
