Gov. JB Pritzker recently voiced his support for Texas Democrats who are fighting what they call unfair redistricting by Texas Republicans. Admirable? Perhaps. But also just a touch ironic — like a man handing out fire safety pamphlets while carelessly flipping burgers over a bonfire on his porch.
Illinois is no stranger to creative cartography. In fact, our state is home to some of the most “artful” district lines in the nation, drawn with such precision that they’d make a Renaissance painter weep. If Texas Republicans are drawing districts to favor their side, Illinois Democrats long ago perfected the technique, producing maps that look less like political boundaries and more like spilled spaghetti.
Of course, every politician claims the moral high ground — right up until they’re in charge of the map room (or working toilets in the house they are renovating). Then suddenly, fairness takes a back seat to “ensuring representation” and “preserving communities of interest,” which in Illinois seems to mean: Make sure your cousin’s state representative seat stays blue until retirement.
So, while Pritzker’s solidarity with Texas Democrats may make headlines, it also invites a reminder: If you’re going to throw stones over state lines, make sure you’re not living in a glass Capitol dome.
Humor aside, real reform means applying the same standards at home that you expect of others. Until then, spare us the two-faced lectures.
— Philip Nassos, Naperville
Thanks for the laugh
Hilarious! Gov. JB Pritzker derides Texas for gerrymandering when Illinois Democrats have effectively disenfranchised Republican and independent voters with a congressional map that looks as if it were drawn by a drunken chimpanzee.
Thanks. We voters can always use a good laugh.
— R. Staneiak, Woodridge
Runaway politicians
The Texas Democrats who abandoned their constituents and fled to Illinois have picked a good state to learn about gerrymandering.
Illinois Democrats have become experts at mapping their opponents right out of office. By most accounts, Illinois is in dire shape, with residents and businesses fleeing our high-tax state. Democrats have been in control of our legislature for a long time. Without gerrymandering, they couldn’t have possibly maintained control because of their poor track record of managing our state.
Chicago has done the same thing with the aldermanic map: Remap your opponents out of the area they were elected to represent so they lose the next election.
These runaway politicians remind me more of 5-year-olds who don’t like the way the game is being played, so they took their ball and left. Time for them to grow up.
— Mike Kirchberg, Chicago
Gerrymandering 101
I’m confused. Did the Texas Democrats travel to Illinois to stop a vote on gerrymandering in Texas or to get a lesson in Gerrymandering 101 from Gov. JB Pritzker and our Democratic legislature?
— Jim Stecich, Oak Lawn
A longtime practice
I couldn’t help but laugh at the Texas Democrats fleeing to Illinois. Illinois is one of the most, if not the most, gerrymandered states in the U.S. How obtuse can they be?
Gerrymandering has long been a practice by both parties. Democrats are upset because they are currently out of power. Perhaps both parties should agree to no more gerrymandering. I suspect Democrats would not agree as their chances of winning elections would be greatly diminished.
Live by the sword, die by the sword.
— Pamela J. Cook, Elgin, Texas
Texas state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, right, speaks with reporters after arriving with other state legislators Aug. 3, 2025, at the DuPage County Democratic Party headquarters in Carol Stream. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
What about Johnson?
Hmm, let’s see. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson sends his representatives home in order to avoid losing a vote on a topic, release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, that has overwhelming public support but would embarrass the president.
Democratic Texas legislators leave home in order to avoid losing a forced vote on a topic with absolutely no public support, one that is only coming to a vote because an autocratic president has stepped into state politics and is demanding it.
Why are the Democrats the only ones facing fines and threats of arrest? Something is backward here.
— Joe Szczepaniak, Wheaton
A federal mandate
All this nonsense over gerrymandering could be solved once and for all by creating congressional districts mathematically. It would be fair to all voters, no matter their political affiliation.
We need a federal mandate requiring that all congressional districts be drawn fairly and not by one political party or the other. Way too much time is spent by both parties trying to outmaneuver each other on something that is wrong and unfair. And I think voters would agree. We deserve fair representation.
— Judy Weik, Oak Park
Redistricting that’s fair
I hate the word “redistricting.” I worked on the drive to install an independent commission to redraw Illinois maps. We gathered more than enough signatures. We failed in the courts.
Redistricting is enshrined in the Illinois Constitution as the duty of the state legislature. I am guessing that most states have this provision in their constitutions as well. The concept is not going away. Neither are the fierce partisan fights that occur every time redistricting comes up. Texas Democrats fleeing their state is only the latest example.
We can establish a few ground rules to end the madness.
Redistricting by state legislators should take place only after each census, every 10 years.
The state’s delegation to Congress should reflect the average popular vote of the presidential elections that took place in the last 10 years. For example, the 2030 census would have the elections of 2020, 2024 and 2028 in its equation. An average percentage of Democratic and Republican votes could be computed. That percentage should match the percentage of the delegation. Districts should be drawn accordingly.
Of course, the above stipulations would need to be enacted by Congress in order to make representation more fair. Not many in Congress today are interested in the word “fair.”
— Jan Goldberg, Riverside
Independent mapping
Will three times be the charm for the proposed establishment of an independent legislative mapping commission for the state of Illinois? That is indeed the hoped-for outcome of the Lincoln Forum event on Aug. 19 at the Union League Club of Chicago. However, at an admission price of $85, I won’t be attending and will wait for what comes down to us common folk to get involved, hopefully successful this time. I have my worries.
The July 30 Tribune article (“Group aims new effort at ‘rational’ redistricting”) about the event reminded me that the voter efforts in 2014 and 2016 to create the mapping commission with an amendment to the Illinois Constitution were defeated by the state Supreme Court. One has to wonder if the fruits of the Aug. 19 forum will again be struck down by the Democrat-majority court.
As a Democrat, I am still hopeful.
— Chris Donovan, Oak Park
Profits are a driver
I read the ComEd CEO’s letter to the editor (“Higher ComEd bills,” Aug. 3), essentially claiming that the utility’s recent bill increases aren’t its fault and blaming factors beyond ComEd’s control. But what it can control is its own greed.
Parent company Exelon made $2.46 billion in net income in 2024 — and now it wants more. That’s not necessity; that’s greed.
Stop trying to apologize for it and stop trying to rationalize it. We see through it.
— Bryan Johnson, Chicago
Ratepayer refunds?
I read with interest the letter by the ComEd CEO explaining that higher bills aren’t the company’s fault. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if ComEd refunded its customers the benefits it received through legislative favors from then-House Speaker Michael Madigan and other corrupt legislators?
— Richard Prince, Chicago
Rationale for rates
A recent opinion piece by Illinois’ top political leaders about homeowner’s insurance rates correctly notes the vital role State Farm serves ( “Homeowners deserve transparency from State Farm, not unexplained rate hikes,” July 30). As Illinois’ largest insurer, the company is a major economic driver employing more than 15,000 people dedicated to protecting a family’s most important asset: home.
Unfortunately, the rising costs of living we’ve seen at the grocery store, gas pump and electric meter are now also reflected in insurance rates. Frustration at higher costs is understandable, but important context is missing from this debate that is needed if there is to be a meaningful solution.
According to data from S&P Global, the homeowners market in Illinois and nationally is facing significant challenges caused by larger and more severe storms, higher costs for wages and building materials, more expensive homes and vehicles, and increased regulation and litigation costs. Last year, State Farm spent $1.26 for every $1 in premiums collected from homeowners, an upside-down trend that has happened in 13 of the last 15 years, the insurer reported.
This math is simply not sustainable for any business, and we have seen similar inflationary business cost increases in other sectors, which is why other major insurance carriers in Illinois have increased their costs. This is not unique to our state. Data from the Consumer Federation of America released in May show that in the last few years, insurance carriers in 25 states have seen increases of 20% or more.
Luckily, Illinois has a robust insurance market, with more than 200 companies offering property and casualty insurance. This competition is good because it drives down rates and allows consumers to shop for the best product for their needs. In states such as New Jersey, South Carolina and Louisiana with overly burdensome regulatory action, such as rate regulation, companies have been forced out of the market, limiting choice and resulting in some of the highest costs in the nation.
While the frustration at higher insurance rates is understandable, we can’t let that lead to poor policies in Illinois that will cause more harm in the long run. Illinois leaders need to work collaboratively with insurance leaders to truly understand the drivers of rising costs if there are to be meaningful steps to ease the burdens on families.
— Mark Denzler, president and CEO, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, and Lou Sandoval, president and CEO, Illinois Chamber of Commerce
Pardon for Madigan
The Michael Madigan conviction is another instance of jury failure — the tendency of jurors to be biased against local police, politicians and others in the public eye and to be less capable of delivering justice in technically complicated or professional instances.
In the military, there are trained arbitrators and expert juries. We need more juries of peers — police professionals judging police and people with political experience judging politicians.
It does not seem to me that Madigan needed more money. Helping allies get positions is a crime? Then-Ald. Edward Burke’s law firm benefited from his pull with city agencies. We are saying political behavior is criminal?
Instead of pardoning Jan. 6 participants, the president could do little wrong in pardoning Madigan and Burke.
— Alphonse I. Johnson, Lisbon, Illinois
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https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/07/letters-080725-gerrymandering-texas-illinois-pritzker/