I had no idea that it was possible.

Seems to be a reputable (semi even-handed) website:



MAP MOVES: Gov. JB Pritzker scolded Texas Republicans and President Donald Trump this week for their brazen attempts to redraw congressional maps in the Lone Star State with the goal of giving GOP candidates an even cushier ride to Washington.

No cheating: That the president is “encouraging Texas — and Texas being willing to do this — should be an indicator to the rest of us that if they’re going to cheat, that that’s not a proper way to act,” Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference. “I think we ought to play by the rules. Everybody.”

Illinois Republicans did a spit take. “It’s rich that the governor now claims to support playing by the rules — after he enthusiastically signed into law the most gerrymandered maps in the nation,” said Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie.

“Phony” and “disingenuous” is how state Rep. Ryan Spain, the deputy minority leader, put it.

The backstory: In 2021, when Democrats worried the House might slip from their grasp, Illinois Democrats approached redistricting with surgical precision — eliminating two Republican congressional seats and reinforcing their own fortress in D.C.

How it changed: Illinois, which lost a seat due to population changes, went from having 13 Democrats and five Republicans in Congress to 14 Democrats and three Republicans.

This week, Pritzker left open the possibility of more map tweaking. Asked if Illinois would try to “counterbalance” what Texas might do, Pritzker said: “We have to see what they decide to do about Texas.”

We reached out to lawmakers on the redistricting committee to see if there’s any appetite for another round of map-making. No one responded. And a spokesman for Senate President Don Harmon told Capitol News’ Ben Szalinski, “That’s not something we’re pursuing.”

Redistricting “overreach” can be a risk, says Ryan Tolley, executive director of CHANGE Illinois, which supports fair mapping. He pointed to how Illinois lawmakers also carved up state legislative districts in southern Illinois, with the goal of favoring Democratic incumbents LaToya Greenwood and Jay Hoffman.

But the outcome backfired. Greenwood lost.

“Democrats run the risk of creating thin margin districts. The big question would be whether they could pick up a seat,” Tolley said. And if they don’t, “they could end up hurting more than helping.”

That might not stop Democrats, however. One political strategist we talked to acknowledged, “There’s always more you can do,” a reminder that gerrymandering is a bipartisan blood sport that’s never really over.


https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2025/07/24/pritzkers-gerrymander-jab-draws-fire-00473441