What’s your new district?
Map shifts Southland representation in Congress
State lawmakers last week approved a new map that will likely change congressional districts for many south and southwest suburban residents for the Nov. 8, 2022 election.
If the new map survives a court challenge, the biggest change to affect the Southland would be shifting tens of thousands of people from Oak Lawn, Orland Park and many other towns into a new 6th District from the existing 3rd District represented by Rep. Marie Newman, D-La Grange.
The new 6th would include parts of Alsip, Chicago Ridge, Palos Heights, Worth, Crestwood, Oak Forest, Tinley Park, Orland Hills, Palos Hills, Hickory Hills, Justice and other Southland towns, then extend northwest into DuPage County to include parts of Downers Grove, Lombard, Elmhurst and other communities.
The 2nd District represented by Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Matteson, would extend from Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood far beyond its current southern border near Kankakee to south of Danville, a distance of about 140 miles.
“The sheer land size of the new 2nd Congressional District will present a challenge in terms of scheduling and logistics, but it is similar to the current district in that it is urban, suburban and rural,” Kelly said Tuesday. “I am confident that I will be able to successfully represent this district.”
The 2nd would continue to hug the Indiana border and cover all or parts of Calumet City, Lansing, Dolton, Riverdale, Blue Island, Harvey, South Holland, Markham, Homewood, Hazel Crest, Country Club Hills, Flossmoor, Thornton, Glenwood, Lynwood, Olympia Fields, Matteson, Chicago Heights, Park Forest, University Park, Crete, Monee, Peotone and Beecher.
The district would gain areas south and west of Kankakee and pick up such towns as Essex, Dwight, Odell, Pontiac, Sibley and Rantoul, near Champaign.
“I am happy to have retained much of my current district, which includes communities I have worked with for many years, and I look forward to getting to know my new constituents in 2023,” Kelly said.
Earlier this year, Kelly replaced former House Speaker Michael Madigan as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
The 1st District represented by Bobby Rush, D-Chicago, would largely resemble its current shape and continue to extend southwest from Chicago’s Hyde Park and Roseland neighborhoods.
A narrow corridor would slice through slivers of Blue Island, Robbins, Posen, Midlothian, Oak Forest and Tinley Park and cover large areas of Homer Glen, Mokena, Frankfort and New Lenox. The expanded 1st would extend deeper into southern and western Will County to pick up Manteno, Wilmington, Braidwood, Channahon and other areas.
The current 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts cover more than 60 communities and more than a million residents of the Southland. If the newly approved map stands, three other districts would cover small portions of the region.
Most of Lemont would be in the new 11th, which extends north and west into Bolingbook, Naperville, Batavia, Elburn, Belvidere, Woodstock and McHenry.
A big part of Lockport would be in the new 14th, which runs north and west through Joliet, Plainfield, Oswego, Sycamore, Mendota, Ottawa and LaSalle.
Burbank and part of Bridgeview would be in the new 4th, a district representing large numbers of Hispanic residents in Little Village, Cicero and Berwyn. The new 4th District would extend into DuPage County and north toward O’Hare Airport to capture Latino populations in Northlake, Franklin Park and other towns.
Newman’s La Grange home has been drawn into the new 4th. But rather than face incumbent Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Newman announced she would challenge Rep. Sean Casten, D-Downers Grove, in the new 6th. Congressional candidates are not required to live within the district in which they run.
Newman is a first-term progressive who defeated conservative Democrat Dan Lipinski in 2020. When lawmakers released an earlier remap draft that would have pitted Newman against incumbent Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon, Lipinski told a reporter he might oppose Newman in the June 28 Democratic primary.
Lipinski’s home in Western Springs is in the new 6th. It is unclear whether he would jump into a primary between two Democratic incumbents, as Casten announced his intention to seek reelection. Efforts to reach Lipinski for comment Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Robert Cruz of Oak Lawn, who was elected to the Oak Lawn High School District 229 Board this year, had announced his intention to run as a Republican for the old 3rd District seat held by Newman. Cruz’s campaign said Tuesday he would announce his 2022 intentions during a Dec. 3 event.
“Our campaign patiently waited for the final map to be revealed,” the campaign said in a statement. “The result is clearly a politically convenient map.”
Kinzinger, a Republican who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump and who serves on a bipartisan commission investigating the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, announced he would not seek another term.
Rush, who turns 75 this month, has represented the 1st District since 1993. His office did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for reaction to the remap. At least three other Democrats — Chris Butler, LaTonia Lambert and Ameena Matthews — have announced they intend to challenge Rush in the primary.
Ballotpedia, an elections website, reported Democrats Kirby Birgans, Jahmal Cole, Dee Nix and Michael Thompson also intend to challenge Rush in what promises to be a crowded primary.
Illinois is losing a congressional seat following the Census and will drop to 17 representatives from 18. Democrats controlled the redistricting process and gerrymandered the map expecting to jigger a 14-3 Democratic advantage from the current 13-5 dominance over Republicans.
The pandemic delayed the census count needed to determine district boundaries. Lawmakers rescheduled the 2022 Illinois primary to June 28. Primaries traditionally are held in March of even numbered years.
Candidates may begin circulating nominating petitions and collecting signatures from registered voters Jan. 13, by which time a court challenge to the remap is expected to be resolved.
Candidates for the June 28 primary will file paperwork between March 7 and March 14, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.