House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has encountered significant resistance in his efforts to persuade Illinois Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional map, Capitol News Illinois reported Wednesday. Despite his quiet push for new maps ahead of the 2026 midterms, Jeffries has met stiff opposition within his own party.
Jeffries has urged leaders in solid-blue states to consider redistricting as a way to counteract a wave of Trump-backed GOP moves in states like Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri. However, in Illinois, some Democrats have rejected the idea. “I think there is next to zero appetite to do it,” one Democratic state House lawmaker told Capitol News Illinois. Another lawmaker added, “There is no world where I see this happening.”
In a last-minute effort, Jeffries tried to add redistricting to the agenda before lawmakers adjourn their fall session next week, according to Punchbowl News. With the candidate petition filing deadline for the March primary approaching on November 3, lawmakers would face the difficult choice of either delaying the primary or rewriting ballot rules.
Another significant hurdle comes from the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, which fears a new map could dilute minority voting power by spreading Black voters across additional districts. “We’re going to fight back,” Democrat state Sen. Willie Preston told Punchbowl News on Wednesday. “We just won’t do so at the expense of our own power.”
Jeffries’ office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Meanwhile, Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who said in August that redrawing the state’s congressional maps was “on the table,” appeared more noncommittal this week. He stated that Democrats shouldn’t have to “sit on the sidelines,” but emphasized that any redistricting decision is “really up to the legislature,” according to Capitol News Illinois.
Previously, Pritzker pledged to veto any partisan maps and campaigned on amending the state’s constitution to create an independent redistricting commission. Illinois’ current congressional maps are already considered among the most heavily gerrymandered in the nation.
After enacting one of the most partisan maps in 2021, Illinois Democrats hold a commanding 14-3 edge in the state’s congressional delegation. That map, which awarded Democrats 82% of the seats despite former Vice President Kamala Harris winning the state with just 54.4% of the vote in 2024, earned an “F” from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project for political fairness and competition.
When pressed about the maps during an interview with Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show” in August, Pritzker joked that a kindergarten class drew the map and called it his “independent commission.” Colbert had compared Illinois District 13, which stretches across seven counties, to a scorpion’s stinger.
In contrast, Republicans have advanced new congressional maps in several states. Texas passed a map in August expected to give the GOP five additional House seats in the midterms. Missouri followed with a map in September projected to add one Republican seat, and North Carolina approved a new map Wednesday that is anticipated to yield one more GOP seat.
The Trump administration has also focused on Indiana, but state Senate Republicans say they currently lack the votes to pass mid-cycle redistricting.
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https://dailycaller.com/2025/10/23/democrat-redistricting-push-hits-brick-wall-in-blue-state/