Pritzker Reopens Redistricting Wounds
Governor JB Pritzker speaks with the media after a ribbon cutting in June. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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OPINION
Governor JB Pritzker got an off the wall question yesterday, but one he could have easily just knocked out of the park with partisan talking points.
At a media gaggle, Pritzker was asked about a report that President Donald Trump had asked GOP officials in Texas to redraw their congressional map mid-decade in an attempt to help Republicans keep control of the House.
It’s a remarkably terrible idea, but that’s where things took a…weird…turn.
The reporter asked Pritzker if Illinois should also redraw it’s already gerrymandered maps to elect even more Democrats than they’ve already drawn to “counteract” the potential efforts in Texas.
“I think that the President of the United States encouraging Texas, Texas being willing to do this, should be an indicator to the rest of us that that if they’re going to cheat, that that’s not a proper way to act,” Pritzker said. “We’re all going to have to band together to try to address that, at least to try to stop them, by letting them know that if we were doing what they were doing, that in fact, we would counterbalance, indeed take control of the Congress.”
Notice how he left the door open to this terrible idea?
Can we stipulate that political gerrymandering is bad for voters and bad for government no matter if Democrats or Republicans are doing it?
So instead of taking the easy route to attack Trump and Texas Republicans, Pritzker left the door cracked open to “cheat” (his word), just like Texas might.
What’s even worse is Prtizker is re-opening the wounds of one of the most blatantly broken promises of his first campaign that extended well into his first term.
Pritzker said multiple times in his first campaign for Governor that he opposed gerrymandering and would veto any map drawn by partisan politicians.
But it wasn’t just a campaign promise.
Remember this one, from January of 2021?
Pritzker's spokeswoman, Jordan Abudayyeh, said the governor "has been clear he will veto a partisan map" and believes Illinois' maps must reflect the state's diversity to ensure "minorities are fully represented in the electoral process."
Of course, Pritzker lied to us the whole time. He signed the partisan maps after issuing a lame excuse about wanting a commission that didn’t exist. (But all he had to do was veto the maps to send the decision to an outside commission, ya know.)
Notwithstanding the fact that even if Illinois Democrats wanted to expand on their already super-gerrymandered congressional map, it would be nearly impossible to expand on their already 14-3 majority. They’ve stuffed Republicans into three districts like a sausage farce into casings, so it’s hard to imagine they could “counteract” Texas even if they wanted to.
What’s most frustrating is the pass that Pritzker has gotten from the electorate and media types on one of his most blatant broken promises that impacts so many voters and, instead, was complicit in the worst gerrymander in the history of this state.
“I think we ought to play by the rules,” Pritzker said Tuesday, clearly forgetting Texas is “playing by the rules” and his party “played by the rules” in 2021.
But when Pritzker had the chance to make the rules more fair for his constituents, he took the easy way out. And it’s something the voters should never forget.
