Illinois faces well-known challenges: high taxes, population loss, a lack of jobs in once-thriving industries, and—perhaps most glaring of all—state-level elected officials so unaccountable that the needs of families in northwest Illinois and beyond are ignored. But real change is within reach, thanks to a legal battle I am leading to restore fairness to our elections.
Here’s the background: In 2021, Illinois Democrats redrew district maps to favor their party—violating state law in the process. As the party in power, they manipulated the maps to cement their control, making it harder for voters outside their party to elect their candidates. The result? In enough districts, election outcomes are essentially predetermined, guaranteeing Democrats a supermajority in the state legislature.
A federal court has acknowledged this reality, and even the Democrats’ own mapmaker admitted it. The district shapes themselves expose the extreme partisan gerrymandering at play.
In response, I filed a lawsuit with the Illinois Supreme Court in January, demonstrating how Democrats rigged our elections through gerrymandering. The results since the 2021 maps were adopted only reinforce the case: Illinois Democrats have used these unfair maps to entrench their power at the expense of the voters.
Rather than defend these illegal maps, Attorney General Kwame Raoul—a Democrat—has stepped aside, leaving Democrat leaders to hire Michael Kasper, the so-called “Prince of Darkness” and a longtime top lawyer for convicted ex-Speaker Mike Madigan. Their decision to enlist a key figure from Illinois’ most infamous corruption scandal speaks volumes.
It’s time to end the corrupt practice of politicians picking their own voters. Every Illinois citizen deserves a fair and competitive election. Partisan gerrymandering silences voters, allowing politicians to manipulate district lines for their own gain.
While we await the Illinois Supreme Court’s decision on whether to hear our case, I’m encouraged by the growing support from voters across the state and from the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune, which recognizes the urgent need to end business-as-usual in Illinois. If we succeed, we can break the one-party stranglehold that blocks common-sense solutions—solutions that could lower taxes, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for every Illinoisan, no matter their zip code.
Illinois can once again be a place where people can afford to live, raise a family, start a business, and retire with dignity. But that starts with fair elections. Breaking the cycle of partisan maps is the first step toward real change.
Learn more at RedoRemap.com.