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Although Democrats won a majority of seats statewide,
Republicans made some strides. President-elect Donald Trump won
a larger percentage of the Illinois vote than he did four years
ago.
“The voters that were for Trump were concerned about inflation,
the economy, immigration, and a judgment on the Biden
Administration,” said Kent Redfield, professor of political
science at the University of Illinois-Springfield during a
University of Illinois-Extension webinar. “People were not
pleased with the direction of the country.”
During a recent news conference, Illinois House Republicans said
they believe voters sent Democrats a message at the ballot box,
and it’s time to change.
“The residents of the state voted with their pocket books in
mind. signaling a resounding call for better fiscal
accountability and immediate relief,” said House Minority Leader
Tony McCombie, R-Savanna.
Redfield said Illinois Democrats have created a super majority
simply by drawing legislative maps in their favor.
“Democrats in drawing the maps have taken what is an advantage
in terms of demographics and voting behaviors,” said Redfield.
A report card from the Coalition Hub for Advancing Redistricting
and Grassroots Engagement gave Illinois an “F” grade due to
“egregious racial and partisan gerrymandering, or sorting voters
based on race and partisanship.”
Redfield said downstate Illinois continues to be mostly
Republican, but the political scene is different now.
“Dramatically within Illinois, we’ve gone from a party-centered
kind of process to one that is much more candidate-centered,”
said Redfield. |
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