North Egypt News

Freshman Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) says she's disappointed that Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week enacted state's new legislative, judicial and board of review maps but added that it's not like it was a surprise.

"I am disappointed, but not surprised that the governor decided to go back on his word to the people," Bryant said in her Friday, June 4, Facebook post.

Freshman State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) | senatorbryant.com

That Pritzker signed off on less-than-fair maps says something about the Democrat governor, Bryant said in her post.

"What he has done today demonstrates that his priorities aren't about representing the people of Illinois, but about safeguarding partisan power for his party over the next decade," Bryant posted.

Bryant was elected in November to represent Illinois' 58th District and was sworn in this past January. She previously spent six years in the State House representing the 115th district.

Illinois Senate District 58 includes all or parts of Jefferson, Perry, Randolph, St. Clair, Monroe, Jackson, Union and Washington counties. Illinois State House District 115, now represented by Freshman House Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona), includes all or parts of Jefferson, Washington, Perry, Jackson and Union counties.

When Pritzker was on the campaign trail in his successful run for governor, one of the promises he made was that he would veto any partisan legislative maps. He also called for an independent commission to handle redistricting.

That was then.

Pritzker went back on that promise earlier this month when he enacted the latest round of redistricted maps that were developed by state Democrats meeting behind a closed and locked door.

This year is already was complicated for the redistricting in Illinois because U.S. Census data doesn't expect to issue data upon which the new maps were supposed to be based until September, delayed by COVID, but under Illinois' Constitution state lawmakers must pass a new legislative map by June 30. If that hadn't happened, an eight-person bipartisan panel would have been created and, should that group be locked in a tie, Illinois' Secretary of State would randomly choose a ninth member to break that tied.

The vast majority of Illinoisans what fair maps.

Illinois' new maps will take effect in 2023.

Bryant is far from the only Republican calling out Pritzker for his broken campaign promise.

"Governor Pritzker, you sold out" Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) said in a statement issued the same day Pritzker broke his promise.

"These maps were crafted behind closed doors using incomplete demographic data, and just yesterday (Thursday, June 3) the governor said publicly that he had not yet reviewed the new boundaries," Durkin said in his statement. "Today I joined my Republican colleagues from the House and Senate to remind the governor that words matter and the people of our state deserve better. It's time to throw out the Madigan playbook, end public corruption, and hold politicians accountable in Illinois."