For any who may be reading this series for the first time: this is a thought experiment where I try to see what would happen if the size of the House of Representatives were doubled to 870 members from 435. This series is both highly theoretical and very unlikely to ever occur.
This is another state where redistricting was kind to Democrats (one of about a half dozen, I think): Pat Quinn managed to hold on to the Governorship by about 1% and Democrats held onto their large legislative majorities despite losing 4 U.S. House seats. Well the new map (seen here) could easily cut Republican's current House delegation in half. And since this is a diary in which Democrats hold the trifecta, I don't have to feel bad about about gerrymandering the shit out of it!
Previous Doubling Diaries: MD, WV, DC, New England, NE, MO, NC, MI, FL, SC, WI, LA, MS, UT, NV, OK, AK, WY, IN, NJ, VA, OH, HI, ND, SD, NM, VT, DE and ID
Illinois gets 36 districts in Doubling.
Cook County and Suburbs
1
VAP: 38.5 White, 50 Black, 8.9 Hispanic
79 Obama
Open; black majority. A Cook County-University Park district entirely outside the city of Chicago. Safe D, black pickup
2
VAP: 36.4 W, 43.5 B, 17.7 H
78.8 Obama
Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Chicago) lives here; plurality black. Chicago and into the suburbs. I drew Junior into a plurality black district on purpose, because he's a thorn in our side ethically and he's just a whiner. I would be perfectly happy if Debbie Halvorson ran here and defeated Junior in the primary (even though she lives in the 1st). Safe D, black opportunity
3
VAP: 41.7 W, 50.2 B
79.7 Obama
Open; majority black. Chicago, including UC, and suburbs. As I'll note below, Bobby Rush may choose to run here instead of his home district. Safe D, black pickup/hold
4
VAP: 39.4 W, 50.2 B, 8.2 H
82.4 Obama
Open; majority black. Chicago and suburbs again. Another potential alternative for Rush (more below). Safe D, black pickup/hold
5
VAP: 28.1 W, 50 B, 7.3 H, 12.9 Asian
90 Obama
Bobby Rush (D-Chicago) lives here. First (of 3) districts located entirely in Chicago; West Side. As I mentioned above, Bobby Rush will probably move south to the 3rd or 4th, because the West Side of Chicago is the base of Danny K. Davis, whose home is in the neighboring 6th, but would want to run here. So in the interest of the team at large, Rush moves south, Davis runs here. Safe D, black hold
6
VAP: 35.6 W, 50.4 B, 8.7 H
89.6 Obama
Danny K. Davis (D-Chicago) lives here. Chicago and suburbs. As I said, Davis moves to the 5th. Safe D, black pickup
7
VAP: 29.3 W, 7.2 B, 60.4 H
73.7 Obama
Open; Hispanic supermajority. Chicago and suburbs (Cicero, Berwyn). Safe D, Hispanic pickup
8
VAP: 36.8 W, 7.1 B, 54.1 H
71.3 Obama
Dan Lipinski (D-Western Springs) lives here. Chicago and suburbs, including La Grange and Western Springs. Lipinski was always too conservative for his district(s), and being shoved in a Hispanic-majority district (with a GOP vote sink on the other side) may finally get him out of Congress. Bye bye Dan. Safe D, Hispanic opportunity
9
VAP: 27.2 W, 9.1 B, 59 H
85.8 Obama
Luis Gutierrez (D-Chicago) lives here; Hispanic majority. Entirely in Chicago (except for like, one precinct). Safe D, Hispanic hold
10
VAP: 56.2 W, 32.8 H, 7.2 A
67.2 Obama
Open. Chicago, Cook County suburbs and parts of Addison and Bensenville in DuPage County. Sizable Puerto Rican population makes it a possibility for a Hispanic pol to break through the primary, but probably not after an election cycle or two. Safe D
11
VAP: 74.5 W, 6.6 B, 9.8 H, 7.3 A
79.6 Obama
Mike Quigley (D-Chicago) lives here, as much as I can tell (the Ward/Precinct system is really fucked up), but even if he doesn't, he runs here. Northern Chicago neighborhoods, like Lincoln Park. Safe D
12
VAP: 59.6 W, 12.2 B, 11.4 H, 14.4 A
75.9 Obama
Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) and Bob Dold! (R-Kenilworth) both live here, just like in the newly drawn redistricting map in reality. Northern Chicago and Evanston. Dold probably moves west to much more favorable territory in the 13th. Safe D
13
VAP: 75.8 W, 8.8 H, 12.7 A
58.8 Obama
Open. A small part of Chicago and northwest suburbs, like Park Ridge, Niles and Des Plains. As I said, Dold probably runs here. It's two points less Democratic than his current IL-10, so I don't really know how to handicap this race. In a Presidential year in the President's home state (but in an ancestrally Republican area), I'd call it Swing
14
VAP: 73.8 W, 14.1 H, 9.3 A
58.5 Obama
Open. Northwest Cook County: Mount Prospect, Elk Grove Village. This area is ancestrally Republican, but trending towards us I believe. Lean D with no incumbent
15
VAP: 65.4 W, 15 H, 14.9 A
59.1 Obama
Open. Schaumburg and Streamwood in Cook County, Bloomingdale in DuPage. Again, perhaps too optimistic, but Lean D
16
VAP: 65.6 W, 20.4 H, 9.1 A
56.2 Obama
Open. Barrington (Cook), Elgin, St. Charles and Carpentersville (Kane), Carol Streams and Glendale Heights (DuPage). Large and growing Hispanic population means it will probably trend our way, but for now it's Swing, if not lean R.
17
VAP: 60.2 W, 6.4 B, 28.4 H
59.3 Obama
Randy Hultgren (R-Winfield) lives here. Aurora, small parts of Aurora suburbs in Kendall County, and West Chicago and parts of Wheaton and Lombard in DuPage. Very Dem and very Hispanic Aurora dominates the district, but an incumbent Republican in an ancestrally Republican area complicates this. However, with Congress as unpopular as it is and the newly configured district, I'll call this Swing, Lean R with Biggert
19
VAP: 82.9 W, 5.5 H, 7.7 A
50.5 Obama
Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton) and Judy Biggert (R-Hinsdale) both live here. GOP vote sink in DuPage County (and a small part of Cook). One of the two incumbents may move north to try the 17th. Safe R
20
VAP: 65 W, 9.4 B, 11.4 H, 12.7 A
59.4 Obama
Open. Naperville, Bolingbrook and Romeoville. Bill Foster, the former Congressman from IL-14, moved to Naperville in order to run again for Congress. He'd run here. Safe D with Foster, Likely D otherwise
North
18
VAP: 67.3 W, 6.9 B, 17.5 H, 7.1 A
62.5 Obama
Open. Far northern Chicago suburbs in Lake County, including North Chicago and Waukegan. Likely D
21
VAP: 66.3 W, 13.5 B, 17.2 H
60 Obama
Open. Joliet and Kankakee. If Debbie Halvorson wanted a sure(r) thing, she would run here. Safe D
22
VAP: 70.4 W, 5.8 B, 17.2 H, 5.2 A
57.3 Obama
Open. Lake County and part of McHenry. Swing
23
VAP: 87.6 W, 8 H
49.4 Obama (Obama win by 400 votes)
Joe Walsh (R-McHenry) lives here. Lake, McHenry and Kane Counties, with a small slice of DeKalb. Walsh is toxic. Safe R, Lean R with Walsh
24
VAP: 75.1 W, 9.9 B, 11.2 H
57.3 Obama
Open. DeKalb, Belvidere and Rockford. Lean D
25
VAP: 85.2 W, 5.8 B, 6.8 H
57.6 Obama
Open. Somewhat reminiscent of the soon-to-be-former IL-17, it starts in nothern Rockford and crawls across the border, picking up every Democratic-leaning area along the way. It's actually a little less blue than the new IL-17, but establishment choice Cherie Bustos would probably have little trouble being elected here. Likely D
26
VAP: 90.5 W, 5.7 H
46.4 Obama
Donald Manzullo (R-Leaf River) lives here. North Central GOP vote sink. Safe R
Central
27
VAP: 84.8 W, 8.6 B
58.5 Obama
Open. Peoria-mander. Likely D
28
VAP: 87 W, 7.8 B
55.1 Obama
Open. Springfield and out. Swing
29
VAP: 74.6 W, 12.4 B, 6.9 A
59.8 Obama
Timothy Johnson (R-Urbana) lives here. Champaign-Urbana, Decatur and Bloomington. Johnson mostly likely moves to the 34th to save his skin. Safe D
30
VAP: 94.1 W
40.6 Obama
Aaron Schock (R-Peoria) lives here. Suburban Peoria. Worst district in the state for Obama. Schock has to move to the right to survive, poisoning him for statewide races in the future. Safe R
33
VAP: 95.5 W
42.1 Obama
Open. Suburban Springfield and west central. GOP vote sink. Safe R
34
VAP: 89.3 W
43.6 Obama
Adam Kinzinger (R-Mateno) lives here. Outer Joliet, Kankakee and Champaign-Urbana. Like I said, Timothy Johnson moves here, sparking a member-member primary, which is kind of ridiculous under Doubling. Johnson may run in the 35th instead. Safe R
South
31
VAP: 85.4 W, 9.7 B
56.8 Obama
John Shimkus (R-Collinsville) lives here. Dem gerrymander starting in Quincy and crawling along the border until it reaches the Illinois St. Louis suburbs. Shimkus probably inches east to the 36th. Likely D
32
VAP: 75.1 W, 20.4 B
58.8 Obama
Open; Jerry Costello (D-Belleville) is retiring. More St. Louis suburbs, plus reaching across the southern tier to pick up as many Democrats as possible. Both Districts 31 and 32 are better for Democrats than either the current or adopted IL-12. This district is likely where current IL-12 candidate Brad Harriman will run. Safe D
35
VAP: 94.4 W
42.4 Obama
Open. East Central vote sink. Safe R
36
VAP: 92.2 W
41.5 Obama
Open, though like I said John Shimkus will run here. "What's Left"; the Southern Tier. Vote sink. Safe R
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So from an 8-11 delegation, to a likely 11-7 map, to this map, which I am calling 23-8-5, but given Obama's home state effect, these ratings probably don't mean a whole lot without more data. Republicans could probably win as many as 3 of the Lean D districts, as well as all the Swings. But this is was I got, as best I can figure.
But, this map adds at least three new black Congressmen, as well as potentially eliminating Jesse Jackson, Jr. It also adds one new Hispanic congressman, and potentially another, which would eliminate needlessly conservative Dan Lipinski. It also eliminates at least one of the 3 (!) DuPage County Republicans, probably Hultgren.
The House so far stands at 234-156-41.
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