Pritzker Claims Redistricting In His State Was Ok Because of ‘Democracy’

By
Rachel Stevenson
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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker wants you to believe he’s the defender of democracy — unless, of course, we’re talking about Illinois. Then suddenly, the rules change.

When confronted on national television with the glaring reality that his own state’s congressional map is one of the most gerrymandered in America, Pritzker did what Democrats do best: he swerved. And not just a little. He slammed on the rhetorical gas, veering straight into Texas. According to him, the real “threat to democracy” isn’t the bizarre jigsaw puzzle Illinois Democrats drew to lock in their power — it’s those awful Republicans down in Texas trying to redraw their lines.

Because nothing says “principled leadership” like pointing a finger 1,000 miles away while standing on a rigged map of your own making.

Here’s what Pritzker left out. Independent watchdogs — the kind Democrats usually love to cite when it’s convenient — gave Illinois an “F” for fairness in redistricting. Not a C-minus, not even a pity D. A flat-out failure. Common Cause, which is hardly a right-wing outfit, described Illinois as “a nearly perfect model for everything that can go wrong” in redistricting. The state lost a U.S. House seat after the census, and instead of letting the chips fall where they may, Illinois Democrats reworked the map to keep their supermajority and squeeze in an extra blue district.

That’s not democracy — that’s political engineering.

But instead of addressing that, Pritzker accused Texas Republicans of “violating voting rights” and insisted “democracy is at stake.” All while hosting the runaway Texas Democrats who literally abandoned their state earlier this year rather than show up for a vote. And let’s not forget — their vanishing act didn’t just stall a redistricting bill, it also delayed disaster relief for Texans hit by catastrophic flooding. Apparently, holding up aid for storm victims is fine if it’s in the name of partisan advantage.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott isn’t buying it. Neither is Attorney General Ken Paxton. Both have made it clear they’ll use every legal tool to drag those rogue Democrats back into the chamber. Abbott even promised to keep calling special sessions until the job gets done — if that means the absent lawmakers don’t come back until 2028, so be it.

Meanwhile, Pritzker plays the role of the benevolent host, patting them on the back while ignoring the gerrymandered elephant in his own living room. It’s a neat trick: claim the moral high ground while standing ankle-deep in the same mud you’re criticizing.

The irony? If Illinois Republicans had pulled this kind of stunt, the media would be running primetime specials complete with ominous graphics about “The End of American Voting Rights.” But when Democrats do it, it’s just “smart politics.”

And that’s the part Pritzker hopes you won’t notice — that his outrage is selective, his principles flexible, and his version of “saving democracy” depends entirely on who’s holding the pen that draws the lines.

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