August 6, 2025

Stephen Colbert confronts Illinois' Gov. JB Pritzker over gerrymandering in Illinois

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker got a reality check on gerrymandering from Stephen Colbert. On Tuesday’s late-night show, the host flashed a map of Illinois’ contorted congressional districts, exposing the state’s redistricting sins while Pritzker pointed fingers at Texas Republicans. It’s a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Fox News reported that Colbert grilled Pritzker on Illinois’ gerrymandered maps, which snake through the state like a child’s doodle, while Pritzker criticized Texas’ plan to redraw districts mid-decade to favor Republicans.

Texas House Democrats, fleeing their state to block the GOP’s proposal, found a sympathetic ally in Pritzker, who offered them refuge in Illinois. The governor’s stance smells of political theater, shielding his own state’s flaws behind outrage at others.

Colbert didn’t let Pritzker off easy, zooming in on Illinois’ District 17, a map so twisted it could pass for abstract art. “It does that, then it comes up here, and it sneaks around there,” Colbert quipped, highlighting the absurdity. Pritzker’s dodge—joking about a kindergarten class drawing the map—only underscored his reluctance to own Illinois’ mess.

Colbert Exposes Illinois’ District Distortions

Illinois’ maps are a masterclass in gerrymandering, with districts carved to protect Democratic power. Colbert’s pointed question, “Is this common for all states?” cut through Pritzker’s deflection, forcing him to confront the widespread practice. Yet the governor sidestepped, focusing instead on Texas’s “extraordinarily rare” mid-decade redistricting.

Pritzker’s claim that Texas’s plan is rare holds water—most states redraw maps once a decade. But his moral high ground crumbles when you consider Illinois’ districts, which look like they were drawn to confuse voters. It’s hard to take his outrage seriously when his state’s maps are just as manipulative.

Texas Republicans, meanwhile, are pushing a redistricting plan to add five GOP-leaning seats. Their draft map targets Democratic strongholds like Dallas and Houston, diluting their voting power. The plan, still subject to change, has sparked fierce opposition from Texas Democrats, who see it as a power grab.

Texas Democrats took drastic action, leaving the state to stall the redistricting vote. Their exodus aims to deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass the proposal. It’s a bold move, but one that reeks of desperation and political posturing.

Pritzker welcomed these Texas Democrats to Illinois, offering them protection from their state’s GOP. “We are going to protect the Texas House Democrats,” he declared, framing Illinois as a haven. But this hospitality conveniently distracts from his own state’s gerrymandering scandals.

Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, escalated the standoff by requesting FBI assistance to track down and arrest the absent Democrats.

It’s a heavy-handed tactic, one that risks turning a political dispute into a legal spectacle. Cornyn’s move shows how high the stakes are in this redistricting fight.

Pritzker’s Voting Rights Rhetoric

Pritzker didn’t stop at offering refuge—he accused Texas Republicans of attacking voting rights. “They are literally obliterating districts that were written according to the Voting Rights Act,” he claimed. It’s a serious charge, but one that rings hollow when Illinois’ own maps distort fair representation.

The governor’s rhetoric about “fighting fire with fire” reveals a willingness to play dirty if it suits his side. He admitted “everything is on the table” to counter Texas’ plan, suggesting Democrats might retaliate with their own aggressive redistricting. This tit-for-tat approach exposes the hypocrisy of both sides in the gerrymandering game.

Colbert, to his credit, pressed Pritzker on why Texas’ actions were “particularly egregious.” The governor’s response leaned on the Voting Rights Act, claiming Texas’ plan disenfranchises Black and Brown voters. Yet Illinois’ own districts, with their bizarre shapes, hardly scream fairness or equality.

Pritzker’s appearance at the Center for American Progress Action Fund on March 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C., showed his knack for preaching reform while dodging accountability.

His state’s maps are as gerrymandered as they come, yet he positions himself as a defender of democracy. It’s a tough sell when Illinois’ districts look like a scorpion’s stinger, as Colbert aptly described.

On August 4, 2025, Texas Democrats stood alongside Illinois lawmakers to denounce the GOP’s redistricting push. Their unity is a symbolic stand, but it glosses over the fact that both states play the same redistricting game. Solidarity in opposition doesn’t erase Illinois’ own distorted maps.

Written By:
Benjamin Clark

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