What's next for Illinois redistricting before the 2026 elections
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The high-stakes game of mid-decade redistricting may skip Illinois after all.
Why it matters: Illinois is one of a few Democratic-majority states that could redraw their congressional maps to counter Republican-majority states like Texas, which already approved redistricting to gain more GOP-leaning seats in hopes of holding the U.S. House majority in 2026.
The latest: Democratic Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch is taking a wait-and-see approach in calling for a special session to redraw the map to squeeze more seats out for the upcoming midterm.
- It will not be taken up in this week's veto session.
State of play: Illinois Democrats already hold 14 of the 17 congressional districts, so even with a redraw, the party would likely only be able to muscle one more district.
- Rumors suggest Democrats would be looking to oust powerful Republican representatives like Darin LaHood or Mary Miller.
The intrigue: Indiana may hold the cards for what Illinois' legislature will do next.
- Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun called for a special session to redistrict with a goal of drawing up two more GOP-favored seats, but it's unclear if Indiana Republicans have the votes to pass a new map.
- If that state does pass a new map, then look to Illinois to change course.
Yes, but: Time is running out. Illinois congressional candidates have already filed their petitions to run for office in 2026 and if the state legislature started dicing up current districts, it could mean that the state would need to push back its March primary and have candidates resubmit petitions.
Friction point: While state Republicans are crying foul, some Democrats are also questioning the move. State Sen. Willie Preston, who also chairs the Illinois Senate Black Legislative Caucus, says he's worried about eroding Black political power.
- Preston points out that to redistrict Illinois to get more seats, some majority-Black districts in Chicago would have to stretch into central and downstate Illinois, diluting their Black populations.
- What they're saying: "We cannot respond to the facially racist efforts of the Republican Party to rig the 2026 midterms by doing anything that furthers their long-term goals of wiping Black representation off the map," Preston said in a statement.
Between the lines: There's also a national political strategy at play. Democrats need to show Americans they are countering Republicans' efforts to gerrymander the 2026 midterms. If Democrats get too far out in front in redistricting, the Republicans can argue the Democrats are doing the same thing.
Flashback: Gov. JB Pritzker has been in favor of Illinois redistricting in response to President Trump's public push to get Republican-majority states to gerrymander more seats.
- He even hosted Texas Democrats who fled their state to avoid voting on new maps.
The bottom line: For now, Welch and other Democrats in Springfield aren't pushing to redraw the maps, but that could change if Indiana does it first.