Harmon and Welch Say "No Plans" to Redraw Congressional Map
House Speaker Chris Welch speaks while Senate President Don Harmon looks on during a news conference at the Statehouse in 2023. (Photo: Capitol News Illinois)
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A story from D.C. newsletter Punchbowl Tuesday claiming Illinois Democrats are moving forward with mid-decade redistricting raised eyebrows among many statehouse types because, it came as a surprise that few were aware of.
“News to me,” texted one legislative Democrat Wednesday morning.
In informal discussions with numerous Democrats during the first week of the fall veto session last week, most Democrats believed the issue was off the table. Leadership hadn’t brought it up in some time, they said, and Governor Pritzker had been going out of his way to tone down chatter in his multitude of national interviews in recent weeks.
So we went directly to leadership to find out if there’s a real plan to move forward with congressional redistricting. And they’re answer, quite simply, was “no.”
“Given the abuses we’ve seen in Republican states across the country, we understand why this conversation continues,” said John Patterson, a spokesman for Senate President Don Harmon. “That said, as of today, there’s no plan and we’ve seen no maps.”
A spokesperson for House Speaker Chris Welch left a little more wiggle room, but not much.
“There are no substantive plans to pass a new congressional map, and House Democrats have taken no steps to draw any new maps,” said Welch spokesperson Delores Walton. “What Republicans are doing nationwide is an unprecedented assault on democracy, so all options must remain on the table.”
Democratic sources confirmed the Punchbowl report that the push to redraw the Illinois congressional maps is being spearheaded by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
Governor JB Pritzker was asked about the potential for a remap during a news conference Monday, and he again toned down expectations.
“It’s not something I want to do,” he said. “But, if the President of the United States is cheating across the country by getting Republican legislators and Republican governors to pass an unconstitutional anti-Voting Rights Act redistricting mid-decade, then I don’t see Democratic governor or Democratic legislatures [sitting] on the sidelines.”
Most Democrats we spoke to believe trying to stretch the map for another Democratic seat would put more Democratic seats in jeopardy if Republicans have a “wave” year. They also believe that with petition filing scheduled to begin Monday, adopting new maps after petition filing is open would be a “logistical nightmare,” as one lawmaker put it.
“This just isn’t happening,” said one lawmaker. “At least not now.”
