House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been pressuring states to redistrict their maps to give the Democrats more seats.
Maryland and Illinois won’t comply.
Out of all the states, Jeffries targeted Illinois? Really? The Democrats outnumber the Republicans 14 to 3.
The new map would make it 15-2. I guess one is better than nothing for these people.
Also, Illinois is beyond corrupt, so it’s probably the party’s best bet.
Jeffries met with the representatives “whose districts could be redrawn.” Blacks hold those four districts.
Yes, it’s all about race. God forbid we make it about population size.
Oh, it doesn’t help that Illinois has been bleeding residents for years.
ABC7 said lawmakers have circulated a map, and a few people have seen it. The meeting with Jeffries did not have a map, though.
FOX 32 reported that the office of House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Hillside) confirmed “his caucus would not be passing any map this week, but that ‘all options remain on the table.'”
The office of Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) also said the chamber won’t consider a new map this week.
This week is the veto session:
Veto Session is a short period when the Illinois General Assembly reconvenes after the regular spring session. Lawmakers return to review any bills the Governor has vetoed; a formal rejection of a bill becoming law. Lawmakers can then override, accept, or adjust those decisions.While the primary purpose of Veto Session is to consider vetoes, lawmakers often use this time to address other key issues and pass new legislation that did not make it through the regular session. This use of the Veto Session is common in Illinois these days, where our governor and both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly work to align during the legislative process when possible, making vetoes fairly rare. Moreover, this makes Veto Session an important opportunity to advance unfinished business like funding priorities, environmental protections, and sustainability policies that need one last push before the year ends.
Illinois redraws its map at the start of a new decade. But the Democrats are desperate to take back the House in 2026:
Jeffries said any potential Illinois redistricting wouldn’t necessarily need to be approved this week, but the clock is ticking. Candidates started filing petition signatures this week to appear on the ballot for the Illinois March 17, 2026, primary election. It’s not clear how Democrats would solve the procedural riddle of changing districts once ballots are finalized, but it would have to clear the General Assembly.
Again, why choose Maryland? The Democrats lead the Republicans by seven districts to 1.
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson also announced the General Assembly will not redraw the state’s map before the 2030 census.
I guess Ferguson has been paying attention to California because he cited legal risks. From The Baltimore Sun:
In a letter to his fellow Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday, Ferguson said the decision was made following individual conversations with senators who expressed concerns about national redistricting efforts and pressure to counter map changes by Republicans in Texas and other GOP-led states.“Despite deeply shared frustrations about the state of our country, mid-cycle redistricting for Maryland presents a reality where the legal risks are too high, the timeline for action is dangerous, the downside risk to Democrats is catastrophic, and the certainty of our existing map would be undermined,” Ferguson wrote.
Democratic State Sen. Antonio Hayes admitted that Gov. Wes Moore “wants to see redistricting changes that benefit Democrats.”
But Hayes also admitted that Ferguson’s announcement makes “redistricting a ‘dead issue'” in Maryland.
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