Pritzker says redistricting in Illinois a possibility if Texas goes ahead with remap
Gov. JB Pritzker says that he doesn’t want to redraw Illinois’ Congressional districts years before the next federal census to eliminate three Republican seats.
However, he is willing to consider it to fight GOP efforts to take away as many as five Democratic Congressional seats in Texas.
“As far as I am concerned, everything is on the table,” Pritzker said at a news conference Tuesday in Aurora.
Pritzker was joined by about two dozen Texas state representatives and Ken Martin, chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
The Texas representatives have been in Illinois since Sunday, deliberately avoiding a vote to redraw Congressional districts in a way that they say will take away five districts from Democrats. Without their presence, the Texas House has not had the required quorum to take the vote.
Several who spoke on Tuesday said the remap is a racist attempt to take away power from minorities. They also said they believe Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is doing so at the behest of President Donald Trump, to strengthen or safeguard Republicans’ majority in Congress in the mid-term election in 2026.
“Trump called and they (Texas Republicans) fell down and said ‘What do you need us to do?’“ said Texas state Rep. Barbara Gervin Hawkins, pleading with Republicans to postpone the redistricting for at least a year, or until after the 2030 Census.
Speaking about Abbott’s threat to have lawmakers arrested if they do not return, “I’ll pay that price for America,” said Texas state Rep. Ramon Romero Jr. He said the proposed new maps “aim directly at black and brown Americans.”
Texas Congressman Al Green referred to the historic marches in 1965 in Selma, Alabama, where people were beaten for advocating for voting rights for black people.
“This (the lawmakers’ absence) is an Edmund Pettus Bridge moment,” he said. “This is no time to take a break.”
Green, 77, also said, “I’m a son of the segregated South. I know what invidious discrimination looks like.”
Pritzker said he has not paid for the Texans’ stay.
“I have not written a check, but I am not reticent (to do so),” he said.
The event was held at the International Painters and Associated Trades’ District 30 Council union building.
Kane County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Guethle said he received a call on Monday from state party officials looking for a venue. Guethle served as director of governmental affairs for the council until he retired in 2020.
Martin said the national Democrats are prepared to fight the Texas remap in court if it passes. He and others noted that Wednesday is the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act by President Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas. They said the proposed remap would violate that federal law.
“This is not the Democratic Party of your grandfather, which would bring a pencil to a knife fight,” Martin said.
It is the third news conference the Texans have held in Illinois. There was one Sunday in Carol Stream and another Monday in Warrenville.
The Illinois Republican Party pointed out in a Facebook post that the Carol Stream one was in an area it contends Illinois Democrats gerrymandered.
“The manipulated map majority can give a master class on disenfranchising voters! The hypocrisy is astonishing,” the post said.