SOUTHERN ILLINOIS – Federal Congressional districts in the State of Illinois would look a lot different for the next ten years if the most recent draft of new maps stays in place. Illinois House and Senate Democrats have released new drafts of US Congressional district maps that would be in effect after the November 2022 elections when a new Congress is seated in January 2023. The new draft maps draw together two Republican incumbent members of US Congress and would create a geographically massive new district in Southern Illinois. Southern Illinois Republican State Representatives Dave Severin, Patrick Windhorst, and Paul Jacobs are sounding off in opposition to the process and what they call a severely gerrymandered product.
“The newest Illinois draft US Congressional maps represent an unprecedented effort to protect the political power of Nancy Pelosi and failing Washington Democrats,” Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) said. “As a member of the House Redistricting Committee, I have serious concerns with the lack of transparency in the process that led to the release of today’s draft maps. Democrat politicians in Illinois seem willing to go to any length to protect their political power. These newly proposed maps are aimed at protecting state and national Democrats’ political power and would unfairly disenfranchise voters in Southern Illinois.”
State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) says the lack of popularity of Democrat President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” spending plan, runaway inflation, backlogged supply chains, a lack of availability of common commercial goods, and the President and Nancy Pelosi’s sinking poll numbers means the Washington Democrats slim minority is in jeopardy next November.
“Illinois Democrats in the General Assembly are aware of the unpopularity of the President and US Congressional leaders like Nancy Pelosi and leftist-progressives,” Windhorst said. “The gerrymandering in this map is on full display for all to see. From creating one massive geographic district for all of Southern Illinois to drawing Republican incumbents together, to the closed-door process that led to today’s maps being released, Democrats in Springfield are doing all they can to protect unpopular and failing Democrats in Washington.”
State Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) says he believes Illinoisans are growing weary of the heavy-handed political tactics used by Springfield and Washington Democrats to ensure their political power.
“Illinois Democrats’ goal seems to be the complete and total obliteration of the Republican party using the map-making process,” Jacobs said. This is quite simply an all-out effort to protect Nancy Pelosi’s Speakership. Washington Democrats’ policies have opened our borders to criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers. Prices of everything are skyrocketing due to Joe Biden and JB Pritzker’s unworkable and outrageous energy policies. Our standing in the world has dropped significantly after the debacle in Afghanistan, and Democrats are hoping Illinoisans are so distracted that they will not notice this extremely gerrymandered map. The people of Southern Illinois should know that Democrats in Illinois are working for JB Pritzker, Joe Biden, and Nancy Pelosi, not for you.”
Votes on the newly proposed Congressional district maps could happen as early as next week, as the Illinois House and Senate will return to action in Springfield on Tuesday for the 2021 Veto Session.
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