JB Pritzker Enters the Chat on Texas Redistricting Debate and Learns It Was Not a Good Idea

Watching Democrats break out into fits of hysteria over President Donald Trump saying he'd like to see Texas redraw its Congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms has been something else, considering Democrats have consistently been the worst offenders when it comes to so-called "gerrymandering" for political advantage.

Already, a special session is underway in the Texas state legislature in response to Gov. Greg Abbott ordering one due, in part, to concerns raised by the DOJ over the legality of four districts.

On Texas redistricting, @GregAbbott_TX wants the #txlege to redraw four Democratic seats flagged by the Department of Justice on Monday. The targeted seats are TX-09 (Al Green), TX-18 (vacant, formerly Sylvester Turner), TX-29 (Sylvia Garcia), and TX-33 (Marc Veasey). pic.twitter.com/NFuybZrgzh
— Phil Jankowski 🌟 (@PhilJankowski) July 9, 2025

Not surprisingly, there have already been fireworks, with Texas Democrats predictably threatening to cut and run in order to break quorum. And one Democrat candidate for Congress, Isaiah Martin, had a meltdown during a House Redistricting Committee hearing on Thursday, resulting in a rather dramatic moment where he had to be forcibly removed. Martin, who is running in a special election for the seat formerly held by the late Sylvester Turner, was later arrested.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom are among the Democrat "leaders" currently in meltdown mode, with Newsom declaring "two can play this game" and exploring redistricting options in the Golden State, though that would be nearly impossible to do for reasons explained by RedState Managing Editor Jen Van Laar here.

And now, after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) also floated the idea of more redistricting, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who - like Newsom - is positioning himself as a 2028 contender, has himself entered the redistricting chat, meeting with Texas Democrats Friday and vowing to help "fight back":

Texas Democrats are sounding the alarm, and it’s past time that we all pay attention. MAGA Republicans are trying to rig the game to give Donald Trump more control. We can’t let that happen.

Illinois stands with you. And we’re ready to fight back. pic.twitter.com/sXNvhjIAzj
— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) July 26, 2025

That was... not a good idea:

Democrats have controlled Illinois congressional district maps for decades, and Republicans have long argued that the maps amount to political gerrymandering.
The 2021 map snatched two seats from Republicans, giving Democrats control of 14 of Illinois' 17 districts.
Zoom out: Pritzker said he wants Texas Republicans to be "fair" in the redistricting process, infuriating local Republicans who have cried foul against Pritzker and Illinois Democrats for redistricting maps to favor their party.
"These state Democrats have the morals of a tomcat," Illinois Freedom Caucus Chair Chris Miller tells Axios. "They will lie to the public, just like the last map that they drew. They said it was the fairest map that's ever been drawn in Illinois. It's laughable."

Pritzker was also blasted on X on the same grounds:

Bruh. Your state literally screwed the people and republicans by drawing these garbage districts to maintain control. I’ve never seen such insane districts drawn around others or using highways to connect other counties like the state you’ve led had done my guy https://t.co/TT8JZJH1zL pic.twitter.com/NtiXfWXV8E
— Nick Schroer (@NickBSchroer) July 27, 2025

Sometimes politicians should know when to STFU. The most brazen political gerrymander in America is in Illinois which literally drew a district that looks like it's giving us the middle finger. Democrats won 82.3% of seats with their map despite getting only 52.78% of the vote. https://t.co/dtMFNTQMLn pic.twitter.com/dnl54Wo8rP
— Izengabe (@Izengabe_) July 26, 2025

Democrats like JB Pritzker are total hypocrites on redistricting.

They LOVE gerrymandering.

They can’t retaliate against republicans because they’ve already cheated to the maximum.

The GOP should go full speed ahead to create a more even playing field. https://t.co/k6UNgwR20T pic.twitter.com/UF5I9Ak8uO
— Eric Bott (@EricJBott) July 26, 2025

Here in North Carolina, Democrats controlled the General Assembly for over 100 years and gerrymandered with wild abandon, including the infamously heavily litigated NC-12 Congressional district, which has never been represented by a Republican.

Because voters were fed up with rampant corruption, Democrats lost control of the state legislature in 2010 on maps they'd drawn. But after Republicans started the redistricting process, Democrats (and their special interest group allies) who were unhappy after losing their majority still tried to control the process, with their Hurt Feelings Reports over Republicans redrawing districts being mired in the courts at various points for well over a decade (a strategy known here as “sue ’til blue“).

So past experience has taught me not to be a purist on this issue, nor should any other self-respecting Republican. As my colleague Bonchie previously pointed out, "What do you do when the left fights with fire? You fight fire with fire." That's exactly what's happening in Texas (and possibly Florida, too), and I am so here for it.

Editor’s Note: Please help us continue to report the truth about gaslighting, hypocritical politicians like Gov. Pritzker.

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