Take Action Illinois

IL-13 (Budzinski), IL-17 (Sorenson)

Redistricting in Illinois resulted in Democrats picking up two D-leaning seats while Republicans lost two R-leaning seats. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project gave the state’s new map an overall grade of B, but in terms of partisan fairness, the map got an A.

Illinois 13th Congressional District, an open seat, shifted from R+4 to D+4. This means the current district in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections would perform an average of four points more Democratic than the nation a whole, But the district is only Lean D, and it’s most recent congressman was a Republican.

Nikki Budzinski won the Democratic primary with 78.5% of the vote. Republican Regan Deering squeaked by her opponent in the primary, getting 34.7%. Budzinski is running as a friend of working families. She advocates for a woman’s right to choose, meaningful tax reform for the middle class, and restoring the Voting Rights Act. Deering says she “sleeps better at night knowing my kids are protected by my handgun, which is why I’m a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment.” She supports the Hyde amendment and has said Illinois needs to stop being a gateway for easy access and on-demand abortions.

Illinois 17th CD is also an open seat because the incumbent, Democrat Cheri Bustos, decided against running. Though the district has a D+2 rating, Republicans are targeting the 17th as a district they can flip and a pouring money into it.