House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is facing pushback from Illinois Democrats over his push to redraw the state’s congressional map.
Jeffries has been urging leaders in deep-blue states to consider new maps ahead of the 2026 midterms to offset GOP redistricting in states like Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri, but Illinois Democrats have largely resisted the idea.
“I think there is next to zero appetite to do it,” one House Democratic lawmaker told Capitol News Illinois. Another lawmaker said, “There is no world where I see this happening.”
As Illinois lawmakers return to Springfield, Illinois, for the final days of their fall veto session, Jeffries is pushing to add redistricting to an agenda focused on transit reform and energy costs, Punchbowl News reported. His effort comes as President Trump leads a national GOP redistricting campaign to secure more seats ahead of the 2026 midterms.
With Governor JB Pritzker and Democratic supermajorities, Illinois is one of the few states where Democrats could gain another congressional seat—the current split is 14–3. But state lawmakers told Capitol News Illinois that redistricting talks are mostly coming from Washington, with little appetite in Springfield to redraw the map.
One major obstacle is timing — candidate petitions for the March primary are due Nov. 3, meaning lawmakers would need to delay the primary or adjust signature rules. An even bigger concern comes from Black officials who fear redistricting could dilute Black representation. Illinois currently has four Black members of Congress and three districts that are at least 40% African American, according to Census data.
A more aggressive gerrymander would likely force majority-Black, heavily Democratic districts to absorb rural, white Republican areas. Some Democrats also fear new lines could weaken current blue seats. Aides to state legislative leaders said no maps have been proposed and no redistricting process has begun.
