Ill. Senate Approves Congressional Map

(With additional reporting from Illinois Public Radio)

The Democrat-controlled Illinois Senate has approved new congressional districts that try to erase Republicans election gains.

The 34-25 vote Tuesday sends the map to Gov. Pat Quinn.

Illinois must adopt a congressional map with 18, instead of 19, U.S. House seats because the latest census showed slowing population growth in the state. Democrats are in charge of the once-a-decade redistricting process because they control the state Legislature and governor's office. That gives them the chance to put freshmen Republicans into unfriendly districts.

The new districts must conform to State and Federal law that requires minority rights be protected. Republicans say their Democratic counterparts did not do enough for minority voters.

"I'm sure it will be challenged especially by the Latino groups of this state who are essentially shut out for the next ten years," State Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) said, who cited the single Latino district in the new map

But State Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) defended the map.

"But every Latino advocacy group that we heard from, none have advocated for a second Latino Congressional district," Raoul said.

The voting rights angle is likely to be the best way to get a map overturned. Previous attempts based on a district's shape and partisan make-up haven't held up in front of the state Supreme Court.

The proposed map lumps at least four freshman Republicans and one veteran into districts where they would have to run against other incumbents for the next election. They would be forced to compete in primaries, contend in Democrat-friendly districts or find another district to run in to try to keep a seat in Congress. The map includes two open districts where it appears no current member of Congress lives.

A pair of downstate Congressional districts see a shake up in this latest version of the Democrat-drawn boundaries.

Republican Congressmen Tim Johnson of Urbana and Collinsville's John Shimkus find their new districts swapped from what was unveiled last week. Shimkus' new territory would cover a large swath of Eastern and Southern Illinois and is considered to favor the GOP incumbent. Johnson's home would be included in a district that picks up Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, Bloomington and Springfield. Johnson's proposed district even dips down to the Metro East area near St. Louis.

Both Johnson and Shimkus declined an immediate request for comment.

State Senator Mike Frerichs (D-Champaign) said he believes Republicans likely challenge the new congressional district map in court. But Frerichs defends the new map as being fair and more compact than the old one, and he said he's not concerned about changes that put Johnson in one district, and many of his longtime constituents in another.

"Well, I think I had heard some of Tim's comments about 'his constituents,'" Frerichs said. "I would just remind him that he doesn't own any constituents. He serves the people of Illinois. And I think that's fair to say."

Frerichs discounted charges that Democrats intentionally designed the new congressional maps hurt Republicans' changes for re-election. He said the map was designed with an eye on more factors than protecting incumbents.

State Senator Dale Righter (R-Mattoon) denounced what he calls a backroom mapmaking process. Righter said the Democrats should be ashamed.

"This is yet another insider game designed to protect people who are in power right now," Righter said. "That's exactly the wrong way to conduct this process. It's the wrong reason to approve a map."

But Democrats say they listened to public input and considered minority voting rights when drawing the new map.

Despite the map's passage, an almost certain court challenge faces the Democrats who drew it.