Adam Kinzinger Lashes Out After Democrats Redraw His House District, Likely Ending His Congressional

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: Mediaite

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) on Friday condemned the process that led to the redistricting of his House seat ahead of the next election, calling it “anything but transparent.”

“I have proudly served six terms in the U.S. House and it has been an honor to do so,” Kinzinger said. “Following the release of the new congressional maps for Illinois, my team and I will spend some time looking them over and reviewing all of the options, including those outside the House. This redistricting process has been anything but transparent, which comes as no surprise to anyone. I believe the people of Illinois deserve better.”

Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly released a proposal earlier in the day with the proposed lines of the state’s congressional map for the next decade. Their party controls both of the state’s legislative chambers, along with the governor’s mansion and 13 House seats. Republicans hold five. The state is set to lose a seat when the next Congress convenes in 2023, and the new map makes it likely for Republicans to hold just three of those.

Kinzinger, who joined Congress in 2013, became one of the most prominent Republican allies to House Democrats toward the end of President Donald Trump’s term in office. He was one of 10 Republicans to vote in favor of Trump’s impeachment in January, and was one of just two selected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to serve on the House committee investigating events in the capital on Jan. 6.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/adam-kinzinger-lashes-out-after-democrats-redraw-his-house-district-likely-ending-his-congressional-career/ar-AAPzXym

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[iluvtennis]

1. This redistricting sh*t on needs to stop. Let the people vote and whoever is elected - be

they Democrat, Republican, Independent, etc - reperesent the people.

Enuf is enuf.

[alphafemale]

5. Agree

It should be by county lines or similar.

Not something convoluted.

[PortTack]

16. If it were drawn by county lines it would be totally unrepresentative of population

If one county has 100,000 ppl and another only has 30,000..that would be totally unfair

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

44. The Wisconsin State Senate used to be districted by county lines

Which meant that Florence County (current population 4321) had as much representation as Milwaukee County, with a current population of just under 950,000.

[Bucky]

67. Congressional districts should have about 800,000 people in them

If your district has a 950,000 population, the value of your vote is being watered down

[peppertree]

39. Something like party list system perhaps

It's used in congressional elections in a number of democracies:

You'd vote for a party, not a specific person: who, after all, really "knows" a candidate (just a PR-polished image) - though voters do more or less know the party.

And the seats are at-large, per state - with each party receiving a number of seats roughly proportional to their performance in each election cycle.

No gerrymandering - and it promotes party loyalty by allowing state parties to deal with turncoats by dropping them from the list the next time.

Or, of course, you can have closed primaries to determine who get on the party list.

It's not perfect (nothing is) - but it would be a real improvement over the Kabuki theater we have know.

[Retrograde]

61. Consider these California counties

Los Angeles: population ~10,000,000
Alpine: population ~1000

It seems to me that giving them each 1 representative might be a tad unfair

Then, the number of counties a state has is often based on historic reasons rather than the current state of affairs. California, population ~40 million, has 58 counties ranging in size from the 49 square mile San Francisco to the 20,000 square mile San Bernadino.
Iowa, much smaller in population, has 99. Wyoming, smallest state in population, thinks it needs 23, and Texas of course has to outdo everyone with 254 counties. So obviously this isn't the best way to assign representatives.

What we really need to do is increase the size of the House - set in the 1920s when the US population was less than a third of what it is now - so that each person in Congress represents roughly the same number of people as are in the smallest state.

[DENVERPOPS]

76. Even more of a travesty

is that every state has TWO U.S. Senators, regardless of the population.

Each Senator from say Wyoming, with a small population has an equal say to each Senator in California that has many times the population.

Yes, I know the reason it was done that way hundreds of years ago, but it needs to more closely reflect the one person, one vote.

[jimfields33]

6. I agree, but we need to play the game unfortunately

Because we’re losing seats in other states. I’m not sure why the couldn’t save Adam’s seat and take one of the three remaining. At least Adam was an ally occasionally.

[Doremus]

66. This.

[questionseverything]

7. The redistributing is happening because Illinois lost a congressional seat

He can still run in his new district if he wants

[former9thward]

32. Not practically.

It is a majority Democratic district.

[ProfessorGAC]

49. 9thWard Answered Already

Kinzinger is my rep. He lives about 12 miles from our house.
This redistricting will place his town in a district that is medium blue.
We had a dem rep (Deb Halvorson) before a redistricting reddened this district, getting Kinzinger elected. Before that we had an R, but he was a Rockefeller Republican, & prior to that we had a D, for a long while.
As this county has grown, there are blue areas with much higher population than in the past and the new map includes those communities.
I don't think he could win here, even though he's not a frothing radical right type.
He'd have to move west or south, but too far south & he runs afoul of the cultists in central Illinois that already hate him for his anti-T***p stance.
It's a shame some other rep couldn't be excised, but the population shifts happened up here in the northeast.
Besides, economically, he is nobody we should consider an ally. Despite all the contrary evidence, he's still a believer in supply side.

[questionseverything]

52. I said he could run...i don't want him to win

Shrugs

[cstanleytech]

21. Aye, I honestly disapprove of allowing politicians to have a say in setting up voting districts

in states regardless of party as it can be easily corrupted by a party like how its being done in most of the southern US by the Republicans.

[wryter2000]

45. We can't disarm if they haven't

If they're doing it in Republican states, we have to do it in Democratic states. This may be the only hope of keeping the House. Imagine if we manage to get two more Senate seats (unlikely but possible) and we've lost the House. When we have a really good chance to do good for the people of this country, it would be a tragedy to lose it over some principle that seems desirable on its face..

I am not one of those people who scream "the Democrats don't fight!" They do the best they can given the utter lack of decency on the Republican side and the pathetic state of our news media. But in this case, we need to play a bit dirty.

When we can ensure that all 50 states will redistrict in honest, unbiased ways, I totally agree with you. Stop playing around. But if the other side is doing it, we must where we can. They are not Eisenhower Republicans any longer. They aren't Nixon Republicans. They aren't even Reagan Republicans. They exist to do evil. Sorry for the hyperbole, but it's not much of an exaggeration.

All that said, I'm sure sorry this Republican may be the one to lose his seat.

[Beartracks]

63. True this. It's not just enough to be RIGHT. We also need to WIN. n/t

[alphafemale]

2. There probably could have been a better choice to draw out in a new map

But he is likely to get primaried out anyway.

[patphil]

8. That was my first thought. This was his last term anyway.

He stood against Trump so he was marked for deletion by his own party.

[Progressive Jones]

24. The RW crazies have been trying to get rid of him for years. He's pretty popular in his district.

[ProfessorGAC]

50. This!!

He was primaried twice by the Freedumb caucus.
He beat his challenger in the primary by more than he won the general election, and those were dominant wins.
His criticism of T***p started long before 2020, and he got reelected twice anyway.

[Marthe48]

3. The districts should be fairly drawn

and based on population.

Since it is so hard for the state politicians to be fair, the job should be assigned to an independent commission in each state.

I don't like what Ohio or tx is doing about drawing districts. If Il is doing more of the same, it just means that the matter shouldn't be left in the hands of the politicians, not matter who is the majority.

[Rebl2]

15. I agree

with you. They should be drawn up by independent non partisan committees.

[PortTack]

17. The gqp here in IL was given a chance to weigh in on the map....All they did was complain

The Illinois map is really pretty fair as per capital of population. as a state we are losing population, so it may seem unfair to some.

[Marthe48]

20. I understand redrawing based on census

I didn't know the r's in Il. had a chance to work on it, too. In tx and my state, Ohio, r's just make it up and sneak it into the books.

[PortTack]

23. They were given a chance, held several mtgs open to the public. Kinzinger knew this was going

To happen! Granted it’s sad because he is one of the more reasonable gqp here

[summer_in_TX]

26. Texas held several public meetings.

Oh yes.

Overlapping ones, where both the House and Senate held theirs at the same time and with difficult procedures to participate. One house allowed electronic testimony, the other didn't.

Very tight timetable. Released the House maps on a Thursday, hearings in person on the following Monday – before most analysts had completely figured out the impact. In just over a week, the new maps were fully approved, in spite of numerous comments against them.

[PortTack]

28. Illinois is not TX.

[summer_in_TX]

65. Should have been clearer.

I wondered if similar tactics had been used there to give the illusion of listening to the public without any substance to it.

[h2ebits]

43. Coloradans overwhelming voted for districts based on population

Regardless of party affiliation, we voted for laws to prohibit gerrymandering by having an independent commission set-up to determine districts. We picked up one new district because the state's population increased. Our new map being worked on doesn't have some of the truly funky districts that we had in the past. Some people are complaining. Some people will always complain. . . .

Politicians need to be removed from the process of redistricting. Doesn't matter which party is in power.

[Bucky]

68. Colorado's system is the gold standard

But most big red states have highly partisan legislatures that won't give up that power. They see their job as running up enough seats on the R side so that they can retake Congess.

[Marthe48]

71. That's my ideal

Ohio's Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that the districts were unconstituional and must be redrawn. r controlled state houses redrew the map in 2019 and right now guarantees permannant super majorites in both state houses. ALCU, League of Women Voters and individuals filed a lawsuit in Sept. 2021 to fight this nakedly unfair map. It is ridiculous that they impede what isn't good for them and that cheating is the only way they stay in power.

Link to lawsuit: https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/groups-launch-legal-challenge-over-ohio-partisan-gerrymandering

Link to a map of gym jordan's district: https://www.wksu.org/government-politics/2019-11-15/how-did-ohios-most-liberal-city-end-up-with-its-most-conservative-congressman

[h2ebits]

73. Thumbs up! Keep working on it

Colorado put the redistricting issue on the ballot, if I remember correctly, 3-years ago. The League of Women Voters had a voice in this and endorsed the bills. The bills--needed two to cover the issue--were bipartisan bills, put on a statewide ballot, and voted on. The people's voices were a solid "yes" regardless of party affiliation. Given the opportunity, I believe that most of We The People would eliminate politicians from creating redistricting maps. Thank you for your efforts and. . . .

I wish you the best in changing over to an independent commission and removal of politicians from the redistricting process.

A couple of other thoughts:

Hopefully, the Ohio Democratic Party (and all the other states) has embarked on an effort to run people for elected offices at ALL levels of government. That was the game plan the Republicans used and have continued to use to get their voice out to the people and build people into higher levels of office.

The other thing that I would like to see happen in the Democratic Party is an attitude change about the voting public such that it would pit a Democrat against a Republican in every election. The idea that a "red" district can never change to a "blue" one eliminates the possibility of change and also eliminates new ideas and ways of doing things from entering into people's minds.

[Drunken Irishman]

62. Nope. Sorry. We don't have the luxury of playing by rules that we hope one day exist but don't.

If they are following the law of Illinois, that's all we can hope for.

It sucks but Republicans are already carving out districts in their states to make it harder for Democrats. We can't kneecap ourselves in states we control if we have any hope of holding the House in 2022.

I don't like what Ohio and Texas are doing - but they're doing it regardless what Democrats do in Illinois.

[Mike Nelson]

4. Hmm...

... I don't have all the information, but I'd go after another Illinois seat, rather than his ...

[DallasNE]

30. I Would Normally Agree With You

But he was going to be primaried anyway and lose so this actually does him a small favor.

[PortTack]

31. It would have been nice to carve out some other gqp district rather than his, but the majority

Of the population and the Dems are in the northern half of the state as is kinzinger. The southern part is red and rural..there really was no better way.

The map is being heavily critiqued, but if you look at where the population of the state is, losing a district and how they did it.. it isn’t that terrible.

[ProfessorGAC]

51. No Good Way To Do It

I live in his current district.
Given his stance on T***p, reaching south & west brings in a high fraction of cult voters. So, he would bye at risk there.
Where he is now, due to a concentration of population over the past 10-12 years creates blue areas to his east.
We were a bluish purple district before the redistricting about 8 years ago. The new map swings it back to that.
Not sure how they could have carved out a district that wouldn't be shaped like a barbell to keep him safe.

[Patterson]

9. Don't we need his help on the 1/6 commission?

[rurallib]

12. he will be there another year+ - It should be done by then

Hopefully much of he info on the Republicans involvement in the insurrection will be coming out in the summer/ early fall of next year - right in time for the election.

[WhiteTara]

10. I'm not sorry he's going.

He's an R through and through. He is not our friend, he just draws the line at sedition. Bye Bye Adam.

[calcin]

57. Not sorry he's going

At the end of the day, his voting record speaks for itself.

[WhiteTara]

59. yes it does. One less obstructionist

Welcome to DU!

[calcin]

72. Thanks for the welcome!

I have been lurking for many years - decided to post bc some people, including people I know think Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are really "good" republicans. I always point out their record and then they are surprised. So yes. I see one less obstructionist.

[JI7]

11. He can blame Republicans for this.

[rurallib]

13. He can still run - maybe if he had ben more attuned to his district

than his party he wouldn't be as sure he will lose.

[ColinC]

14. It's a weird map and risking a lot if we have a bad year next year, anyway....

Gerrymandering needs to be federally outlawed. Yesterday.

[PortTack]

18. It may look weird, but is drawn pretty fairly according to our population!

[riversedge]

37. Wis has been severly gerrymandered since last census with Scott Walkers thugs. Horrible

situation. Now the Repugs are wasting thousands of tax dollars on a misguided election 'audit' damn them

[roamer65]

19. Given the shit in TX, we have to do it in IL and NY.

End of story.

[ananda]

22. Reeps are so fucking selfish.

Did he lash out at the horrors of Texas redidtricting?

[Downtown Hound]

25. Sorry it was done to one of the not so completely awful Republicans

Last edited Sat Oct 16, 2021, 12:24 AM - Edit history (1)

I won't say good Republican, because there's no such thing. But Adam, your party has been doing this to us for years, so don't even act like a big baby now because, after years of putting up with the most undemocratic crap from your fascist party, we're finally starting to fight back. If you want to end this bullshit undemocratic gerrymandering garbage I'm totally on board. Let's create maps that are fair and democratic. But since your party is not going to do that, because they know they can't hold onto power in the long run unless they draw the maps in an unfair way, don't start crying now when we do it back to you.

You have your own party to blame for this. No one else.

[raising2moredems]

27. LMFAO.. Manzullo lite

Never, I mean NEVER, heard a peep out of him re: congressional districts (read: gerrymandering) in other states. NOW he's up in arms. He should have spoke the f-up long before he did. Sad to say, the idiots in my neck-of-the-IL-woods will vote for anyone with an -R behind their name. My spouse keeps sticking up for Manzullo-lite but I have little use for him.

[DallasNE]

29. Normally I Would Have Been More Compassionate Than This

But he was going to be primaried anyway, so what difference does it make.

[rickford66]

33. He could run as a conservative Dem or an anti-Trump Indie.

[Firestorm49]

34. Oh no! He's upset with redistricting? What a pity. The old shoe on the other foot. Screw him.

[rpannier]

35. The map isn't final, which makes me happy because I hope they make tweeks

My congressional district was represented by Bustos and she barely won last time -- largely because she didn't campaign until the last few days
Would have been nice if they had added a bit to my district

[greymattermom]

36. Blue states need to do massive gerrymandering.

Only one or, even better, no Republicans allowed. These tricks work both ways.

[peppertree]

41. +1

Democrats too often bring a spoon to a knife fight - and these blackshirts are playing for keeps.

[wryter2000]

46. Absolutely

It may be our best hope of keeping the House. A couple of seats in New York and a few other states could make the difference. As long as they are going to do it, we must.

[maxsolomon]

79. In many cases, blue states have made redistricting non-partisan already.

It was the ethical thing to do.

In WA, i've heard it said that the commission gives too much power to the GQP when you consider their actual degree of power. Bending over backwards to be fair actually hurts Dems.

[BradBo]

38. Republican have stolen elections through redrawing voting district unfairly..

They are possibly going to reinstall Trump exactly that way. Cry me a river.

[ibegurpard]

40. Well take it up with SupCo

They gave it the green light. And we have to counter what they're doing where they have total control wherever we can. He is collateral damage.

[maxrandb]

42. Hey Adam, tell it to your friends in TX

[kentuck]

47. I would vote for Kinzinger.

How wise was that?

Is that the only way to keep the House??

[calcin]

48. Kinzinger voted against John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

I wouldn't vote for Adam Kinzinger. Take a look at his voting record. Also, take a look at Florida's redistricting map.

[totodeinhere]

54. Agreed. He opposes the crazies that have taken over the GOP, and I appreciate that.

But on other issues he usually votes the Republican line. He voted for the Trump tax cuts for instance. And he has been a vociferous critic of the Biden foreign policy. I would not vote for him either.

[totodeinhere]

53. I appreciate his vote to impeach Trump and his participation on the select committee probing the

Jan. 6th attempted coup. But even so, if he is reelected he will vote with the Republicans to organize the House and his vote could be the vote that gives them the majority they need to control the House. And that obviously we do not want. So I would rather see a Democrat replace him.

As far as gerrymandering goes, I oppose it in principle but as long as the Republicans do it in red states, which they do, we have to counter that by doing the same in blue states. Otherwise, we won't have much chance of retaining the House majority.

[calcin]

55. I oppose gerrymandering in principle

I appreciate Kinzinger drawing a line at the Jan 6th insurrection and voting to Impeach but yup, if reelected he would vote with the Republicans. I cannot get past the fact that he voted against the John Lewis Voting Act. That sums him up to me.

I say we need to gerrymander to counter what republicans are doing in red states. Republicans just don't care and do whatever they want. Democrats disarm. I'm sick of it. Our democracy hangs in the balance.

[rdking647]

56. districk lines should be drawn bu computer

with no emphasis on party. a completely non partisan computer program.

[DownriverDem]

58. I know how

he feels. I'm going to lose my rep and district after redistricting.

[Pachamama]

64. He could run as a Democrat and likely win

And it would be a noble thing

[Bucky]

69. Except he's genuinely a conservative. Just a rare loyal-to-the-law kind

It's unfair, as are many things in politics. Maybe he should run for president.

[JT45242]

70. Boo hoo... I'll bet he didn't say anything before

When his rethuglican party did this in Wisconsin what did he say? Nothing

When they did it in Texas? Crickets. All the other states?

When the daughter of the rethuglican mathematician who planned how to gerrymander minority rule released all his data, did he say anything.

Shut up you f-in hypocritical ass hat.

[SWBTATTReg]

74. Drawing these borders seems to be one of the biggest abuses there is, perhaps do away w/ drawing...

up borders within each state for the House and Senate districts, and simply just give each state after each census how many seats they are allotted after each census, that is, Illinois has 18 House seats now, it lost 1, thus in the next election cycle, 17 House seats must be voted on (and 2 Senate seats if up for reelection). No borders (for state districts) are drawn up, since they aren't needed.

This way, you won't have someone jury rigging the borders in order to falsely gain a seat by sidestepping voters/putting them aside to make their votes in effect worthless.

[former9thward]

75. The Democratic representatives are complaining about the map also.

Dem Rep. Marie Newman slams new Democratic Illinois congressional map

The first-time congresswoman is in a district with GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger. Rep. Bobby Rush also doesn’t like his remapped district, which remains heavily Democratic.

WASHINGTON – The draft Illinois congressional map unveiled Friday – and drawn by state Democrats to create 14 Democratic districts and three Republican – was blasted by freshman Rep. Marie Newman because it leaves her extremely vulnerable to primary and general election challenges.

Democrat Newman was outraged, given the power of the state Democratic mapmakers – Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside – to draw more favorable lines. The 17 crazy-shaped districts zigzagging around Illinois were gerrymandered to maximize Democratic voting power.

Rep. Bobby Rush, with one of the most Democratic districts, does not like the turf he’s getting, calling the map “an absolute nonstarter” and “a horrendous map” that “does not take into consideration cultural affinities. It begins at a place called absurd, and it ends at a place called ridiculous. The best thing about this map is that my southern boundaries are not in Iowa.”

https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2021/10/15/22729243/rep-marie-newman-democratic-illinois-congressional-map-redistricting-rep-adam-kinzinger

[Marcuse]

77. Now as an even lamer duck, he is really free to vote his conscience.

[raising2moredems]

78. Like every other pukes..

Said nothing when other states gerrymandered/redrew districts. Said nothing when SCOTUS had no balls to ensure fairly drawn districts. While Manzullo-lite has been speaking out recently, he was and is part of the problem. And never will be part of the solution.