A 51st State of 'West' Illinois? Some Counties Are Fed Up and Look to Break Away From Chicago.

It's something that may happen in most states. Often, the state legislature is focused on what goes on in the big cities of those states, leaving those in more rural areas fighting for legislative breadcrumbs. But in Illinois, it's more than just frustration at being overlooked in the Statehouse in Springfield. Some residents have had enough, and they want out. Not by moving, but by forming a new state.

More Illinois counties ready to vote on leaving the state https://t.co/xs7pehArpM https://t.co/BWDjrC673w

— Buddy Revell (@BuddyRevel17394) October 26, 2026

Loret Newlin is the director of Illinois Separation. They are leading the effort in 11 counties and several townships to let voters decide if they want to break away from Cook County and form a new state. The prime reason: Those who do not live in Chicago feel they are being ignored by state government and want to change that. Newlin said of the effort:

"Our area is not taken into consideration when laws are being made. There's definitely more focus on them, and the laws are centered to benefit Chicago and Cook [County]. There is a lot of area outside of Cook that should have been taken into consideration."

The referendum process is designed to assess if voters want to pursue the formation of a new state that would be made up of counties outside of Cook County. The group is drawing on the process that is outlined in Article IV, Section Three of the U.S. Constitution, the same process followed when West Virginia became a state in 1863, though any such move would still require approval from the Illinois legislature and Congress.

Newlin described some of the issues that are driving the movement, such as a per-mile tax for drivers currently in the Illinois Senate that, if passed, would disproportionately affect downstate rural residents, as well as farmers and truckers. Newlin stated, "We tried to defeat this in 2019 and succeeded, but as typical, they won't take no for an answer." Then there is the SAFE-T Act, signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker in 2021, which eliminated cash bail and created a new system for judges to decide if defendants should be detained or released while they await trial.

Illinois counties to vote on prospect of forming new state without crime-ridden Chicago https://t.co/bm9UktUKO5 via https://t.co/ft5Jcq1JYD

— Jim Polk 🇺🇸 (@JimPolk) October 26, 2026

If this were to happen, the people of those 11 counties and townships would not only enjoy having the needs of their communities paid attention to, but there would also be a few other perks in it for them as well. First and foremost, not having to deal with out-of-control Chicago crime. Homicides are down, and the murder rate is down, but the frequency of murders remains higher than it was before the pandemic. They would also be free of the ridiculous blue-state policies of Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who currently has a 22 percent approval rating.

Of course, Pritzker is opposed to a divorce between Cook County and residents of other counties who have the crazy notion that their county matters too. A Pritzker spokesman has called the movement a "stunt" and said that it is "not going to happen." 

It may not happen. But if it did, what are the chances that the new state would be red?

Illinois governor calls push for a new state a 'stunt' as more counties vote to leave https://t.co/hHXE91nDSF

— Beth Oliver (@bethmarie316) October 26, 2026

Editor's Note: The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.

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