Illinois Dems could rethink redistricting after Voting Rights Act ruling
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Last week's Supreme Court ruling weakening the Voting Rights Act has Illinois Democrats reconsidering whether to redraw maps.
Why it matters: Renewed interest in mid-cycle redistricting could expand the number of blue — and even purple — states considering new maps ahead of 2028.
The latest: U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told Politico last week that New York, Illinois, Colorado and Maryland are Democratic states that could redistrict.
What they're saying: "We can't just sit back and watch Republicans and the courts erode voter rights protection and do nothing," state Rep. La Shawn Ford, now the Democratic nominee for the 8th congressional seat, tells Axios.
- "This puts us in a situation where we have to figure out a new way to approach."
The intrigue: Immediately after the ruling, Democrats in the state Senate moved to table a ballot measure designed to protect redistricting by enshrining redistricting protections in the state constitution.
- They said the pause was needed to "dissect the ruling."
Yes, but: Now, Republican states are following President Trump's threats to eliminate Democratic districts in an effort to control the U.S. House in the midterms.
Case in point: Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn suggested that the state adopt a 9-0 Republican-majority map.
What we're hearing: A House Democrat from Illinois, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they "don't think that there's an appetite, but, you know, it's a different landscape."
- "There's a 17-0 map that's out there, and that's the nuclear option in Illinois. Yep, it could be done. But what will is there to do the nuclear option? ... I don't think that that's there."
- State lawmakers could ultimately be persuaded, they said, because "if folks ... think that democracy is at stake, well, then, you can't ignore that."
Reality check: Gov. JB Pritzker has signaled he would enter the redistricting fight if Republicans begin gerrymandering their states for the midterm election.
- His push last fall was cooled by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, which worried that a 17-0 map could dilute its voting power.
Between the lines: Ford, who was one of the representatives who called for Pritzker to pump the brakes, wants Democrats to be measured in this tricky judicial landscape.
- "Democrats did everything to make sure that we protected voting rights," Ford added. "We have to figure out a new way to approach this because even if you tried to put into law some of the words we've used before, the new maps could just be thrown out."
The bottom line: While Illinois Democrats are gearing up for a redistricting war, Ford says the party should focus on its messaging first.
- "I think the Democratic Party has to become the party for everyone, regardless of how the maps are drawn."