The editors of the Wall Street Journal are piling on Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker and you’ve got to admit there’s a lot to pile on there:
J.B. Pritzker didn’t say “read my lips†in 2018 when he promised the people of Illinois he wouldn’t sign onto a partisan redistricting if elected Governor. Specifically, he promised to veto any redistricting map “drafted or created by legislators, political party leaders and/or their staffs or allies.†But on Friday he broke that promise, and it will now take its rightful place in the annals of political whoppers beside George H.W. Bush’s famous pledge not to raise taxes.
The new map diminishes the already diminished Republican presence in Springfield. Fourteen Republican-held seats in the state house will be squeezed into seven, for example, guaranteeing a loss of at least seven GOP incumbents. No Democratic incumbents will lose seats as a result of a combined new district. It also redraws the boundaries for the state’s Supreme Court for the first time since 1964—an effort to maintain the 4-3 Democratic majority on what is an elected court.
Adding to the wholly politicized nature of the effort is that redistricting is supposed to be done based on the latest Census results. But because of Covid-19, the results won’t come in time to meet the state constitutional deadline of June 30. The state provides for this—a bipartisan, eight-member commission would then take charge—but Democrats went ahead with less reliable and detailed data.
I didn’t expect him to keep that pledge and I honestly don’t see how anyone could have. There’s nothing like getting elected to change your perspective on electoral reform.
Meanwhile Gov. Pritzker has been musing out loud about spending more time with his family and I don’t know whether that’s a euphemism or not. Were I he I would get out while the getting is good. The Madigan case is just getting into its stride and if he thinks he’ll escape that scot free he’s even dumber than I think he is.
The redistricting of the courts was surprising; that has not happened in my lifetime. And it happened following a 4-3 decision blocking the fair maps referendum. Those wanting to end gerrymandering targeted the downstate Democrat up for retention on those grounds (as well as the financial support he received from the former House Speaker and FBI person of interest) and he became the first justice to lose a retention referendum.
I’m not sure the map changes anything, but it looks like a power play any way. I assume that there will be a challenge and the Illinois Supreme Court will get to decide if the new districts are “compact” as required by the state Constitution.
If they think the Illinois 4th is compact, anything can be compact.