Illinois Gov Says His State’s Gerrymandering Is OK — Because ‘Democracy’
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker tried to brush off accusations of hypocrisy over his state’s heavily gerrymandered congressional map, claiming criticism of Illinois is just a “distraction” while accusing Texas Republicans of undermining “democracy.”
During an NBC News interview, Pritzker was pressed about Illinois’ “F” grade from independent watchdogs on the fairness of its district lines — with one report calling the state “a nearly perfect model for everything that can go wrong with redistricting.” The analysis noted that Illinois Democrats used the process to lock in a legislative supermajority and even squeeze out an extra Democratic congressional seat, despite the state losing one House seat after the census.
Pritzker refused to address the specifics, instead pivoting to condemn Texas Republicans for pursuing their own redistricting plan, which could net the GOP five additional House seats. “The violation of people’s voting rights is what Texas is attempting to do,” he claimed. “Democracy is at stake.”
NBC: Every group that grades the fairness of congressional maps gives Illinois an F and says it’s a “perfect model of everything that can go wrong with redistricting.” Aren’t you a big hypocrite?
PRITZKER: “Democracy is at stake!” pic.twitter.com/g9NrY0VDDG
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 10, 2025
The Illinois governor has also hosted Texas Democrats who fled Austin to block the GOP map, a stunt that has stalled not only redistricting but also flood relief legislation for Texas residents hit by catastrophic storms earlier this year.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have vowed to bring the runaway Democrats back by any legal means necessary. Abbott warned that he will keep calling special sessions until the Democrats return — even if that means dragging the fight out for years.
Pritzker’s dodge underscores a long-running double standard: Democrats rail against GOP-drawn maps as “threats to democracy” while defending their own partisan power grabs as just politics as usual.