House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has encountered significant pushback in his behind-the-scenes campaign to convince Illinois Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional map — a move meant to bolster Democratic chances ahead of the 2026 midterms, according to Capitol News Illinois.
Jeffries, who has been quietly lobbying Democratic leaders in solid-blue states, hopes to counter recent Republican redistricting successes in places like Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri. Yet in Illinois — one of the party’s strongest strongholds — his proposal is running into firm opposition from within.
“I think there is next to zero appetite to do it,” one Democratic state lawmaker told the outlet. Another added bluntly, “There is no world where I see this happening.”
According to Punchbowl News, Jeffries made a late push to place redistricting on the agenda before Illinois lawmakers wrap up their fall session next week. But with the petition filing deadline for the March primaries approaching on November 3, legislators would have to either delay the election or overhaul ballot rules to make such a plan feasible.
Adding to the friction, members of the Illinois Senate Black Caucus have voiced deep concerns that a new map could weaken minority representation by dispersing Black voters across more districts.
“We’re going to fight back,” Democratic state Sen. Willie Preston told Punchbowl News. “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.
Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who said in August that redrawing maps was “on the table,” struck a more cautious tone this week. While he reiterated that Democrats shouldn’t “sit on the sidelines,” he also emphasized that any decision on redistricting “is really going to be up to the legislature,” according to Capitol News Illinois.
That marks a notable shift for Pritzker, who previously vowed to veto partisan maps and even campaigned on creating an independent redistricting commission through a constitutional amendment.
Illinois’ current congressional map is already considered one of the most aggressively gerrymandered in the United States. Democrats currently hold 14 of the state’s 17 House seats — roughly 82 percent — despite Vice President Kamala Harris carrying the state with only 54.4 percent of the vote in 2024. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project awarded Illinois’ 2021 map an “F” for both political fairness and competition.
Pritzker has even faced lighthearted criticism over the maps’ bizarre shapes. During an August appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the host compared Illinois’ 13th Congressional District — which winds through seven counties — to a “scorpion’s stinger.” Pritzker joked that a kindergarten class had drawn it and called it his “independent commission.”
Meanwhile, Republican-led states are aggressively advancing their own redistricting efforts. Texas enacted a new map in August expected to net five additional GOP seats, while Missouri followed in September with one more. Just this week, North Carolina approved a new map projected to deliver another Republican seat.
The Trump campaign has also reportedly taken an interest in Indiana, though state Senate Republicans there have said they currently lack the votes to push through mid-cycle redistricting.
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