(The Center Square) – When it comes to fair political maps, an Illinois statehouse Republican says Gov. J.B. Pritzker is being a hypocrite.
The Texas Legislature is in special session starting this week. One priority is to redistrict the state’s 38 congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm election. The move could possibly give Republicans a boost. Asked about it Tuesday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was critical of President Donald Trump.
“If they’re going to cheat, that’s not a proper way to act, we’re all going to have to band together to try and address that,” Pritzker said Tuesday at an unrelated event.
There could be ways other states could counter Texas increasing Republican seats in Congress by redistricting, he said.
“But I think cheating, the way the president wants to, is improper,” Pritzker said. “We all should stand up against it. People ought to be outraged.”
Illinois state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Murrayville, said Pritzker is a hypocrite because he signed off on Illinois’ political maps in 2021 that received a failing grade for gerrymandering.
“The cheater in chief, J.B. Pritzker, started out when he first ran for office saying that he would never sign a political map that was drawn by politicians and then what did he do? He signed one of the worst, if not the worst map in the nation’s history,” Davidsmeyer told The Center Square. “He’s saying it’s wrong when Texas does it but when he makes one of the worst maps in the nation’s history, he’s perfectly okay.”
The maps Pritzker signed in 2021 were given an “F” grade by civic organizations like Common Cause.
