(The Center Square) – A political insider says the nature of Illinois politics has dramatically changed in the past two decades.
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.
