Pritzker Defends Illinois Gerrymandering While Blasting Texas GOP

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is taking heat after brushing off criticism of his state’s heavily gerrymandered congressional map even as he accuses Texas Republicans of “threatening democracy” with their own redistricting plan.

Appearing on NBC’s Meet The Press Sunday, Pritzker was asked by host Kristen Welker whether his attacks on Texas were hypocritical given that Illinois’ congressional map has received failing grades for fairness from independent watchdogs.

“What they’re talking about is a distraction,” Pritzker said. “The reality is that the violation of people’s voting rights is what Texas is attempting to do… Democracy is at stake.”

Welker pointed to an “F” grade Illinois received from Common Cause, which described the state as “a nearly perfect model for everything that can go wrong with redistricting.” The group’s report noted that Illinois Democrats used the process to lock in a supermajority in the legislature and create an extra Democratic congressional seat despite losing a House seat after the latest census.

Watchdog findings on Illinois’ map:

• Designed to protect the Democratic supermajority in Springfield.

• Engineered to gain one extra Democratic U.S. House seat.

• Drawn despite Illinois’ loss of a congressional seat post-census.

The interview came as Pritzker continues to host Texas Democrats who fled Austin to block the GOP’s redistricting bill, which could net Republicans as many as five additional congressional seats. Their absence has frozen the Texas legislature, stalling not only redistricting but also relief legislation for victims of catastrophic flooding earlier this year.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have vowed to force the Democrats’ return or keep them in political exile. Abbott has warned he will call special session after special session “until like 2027 or 2028” if necessary with the same agenda until lawmakers fulfill their constitutional duty to vote.

Pritzker’s dismissal of the criticism underscores the double standard often seen in partisan redistricting battles: while Democrats slam GOP maps as threats to democracy, they defend their own as business as usual.

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