* The setup…
* Rep. Lisa Hernandez, Chair of the House Redistricting Committee last night…
Following the release of the proposed legislative map, Republicans in the legislature made public comments criticizing the number of incumbent Republicans who would be located in the same district. A number of those districts have been reconfigured to accommodate the concerns of Republicans.
* House Republicans last night…
Chairwoman Hernandez’s claims of accommodating Republican concerns are deceptive and downright untrue. The only concerns Republicans voiced were the use of inadequate data, and politicians drawing their own maps to pick their voters.
The HGOPs have pushed back hard on this claim that they asked for changes based on GOP packing.
* But…
[Rep. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna] called the new maps “politically driven.”
“If you don’t think that in my district, you can certainly see it across the state when you have two or four (Republican) House seats drawn in together and then empty seats right next to them,” she said. “I think the courts will tear them apart for two reasons: not using the U.S. Census, and for how blatantly politically they are drawn.”
Um, ma’am, your public complaint might have given them a legal justification for using home addresses to draw the maps.
* Rep. McCombie does her own thing, so that was probably to be expected. But Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) is on the Redistricting Committee and should know better…
“The only thing that seems to matter are the home addresses of incumbent politicians, so the Democrats can be protected and Republicans can be punished,” said Spain.
Close to the line, but did he cross it?
- Rabid - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 6:27 am:
There is no incumbent picking voters in an empty seat
- Captain Obvious - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 7:50 am:
He hit the nail squarely on the head, over the imaginary line or not.
- Rabid - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 7:56 am:
The curse of the GOP seven must go before the party can be found
- Commisar Gritty - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 9:25 am:
Did they just miss a lay up? They could have sold this as “ILGOP gets major concessions from supermajority party after intense negotiations” but instead they’re going with this, which makes them look even weaker.
- JS Mill - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 9:58 am:
I am sure that if the roles were reversed, and the GQP was relevant in Illinois, they would be “Fair”./S
- A Guy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 9:58 am:
There are some head scratchers there. The juice isn’t worth the petty squeeze if your own side gets brutal races because of pettiness.
- A Guy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 10:07 am:
==There is no incumbent picking voters in an empty seat==
-that you know of. This is either denial or naivity.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 10:22 am:
Me?
I think the battles for the soul of the GOP vs GQP is worth this.
It could very well be addition by subtraction too.
Any Trumpkin/Raunerite that can lose is good for the state and if the GOP was honest, better for the party with a purge of unhelpful members that don’t “encourage” party growth.
If the purge turns out to be more GQP types, that might be an end of beginning of the end and irrelevance could be quite secured.
We’ll see… but … “These things gotta happen every map, ten years. Helps to get rid of the bad blood. Been ten years since the last one. You know, you gotta stop them at the beginning.”
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 10:24 am:
===that you know of. This is either denial or naivity.===
How so? Use your words.
They can move to empty seats…
- Excitable Boy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 10:42 am:
- -that you know of. This is either denial or naivity. -
Does this collection of words actually mean something in your brain?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 10:44 am:
=== Does this collection of words actually mean something in your brain?===
If - A Guy - uses actual words of meaning and substance instead of driveby silly…
- The Elephant In The Room - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 10:49 am:
I’m not sure what line he came to or was at risk of crossing. To his point, the super minority party had what, half of its members seats consolidated? How many of the triple number of seats did the Dems consolidate? It isn’t enough for the HDs to be a majority party or even the super majority party, but to be so insulated from political repercussions that they stop being responsive to voters. And frankly when the margins are tighter you get better government.
- west wing - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 10:51 am:
National Democrats saying let’s wait until fresh Census data can be used, while Illinois Democrats rush these maps not using the Census data, could become a troubling issue.
- anon2 - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:28 pm:
It sounds as if the Republicans preferred the first map with more of their members put in the same district. I wonder why they were more amenable to that first map? Because it would be easier to challenge than the newest one?
- anon2 - Friday, May 28, 21 @ 3:41 pm:
Does Rep. Keicher really want to live outside his new district rather than inside? The Republicans complained about being pushed together in the same districts, and now they complain about being separated. Either way they’re unhappy.