New IL District Maps: Davidsmeyer, Frese Among Others To Be Packed Into New Districts

By Benjamin Cox on May 25, 2021 at 7:27am

West Central Illinois’ State Representative make up will look much different if the new maps released on Friday by House Democrats are allowed to stand.

Pike, Scott, Greene, Calhoun, southeastern Morgan County, western Macoupin, Jersey, and a small portion of northeast Madison will be a part of the new 100th District, which would have to elect a brand new representative.

C.D. Davidsmeyer, the current 100th district representative, will have his district shift north, and form the new 99th district. The new 99th District will take up northern Morgan, Cass, Brown, and Adams County. Davidsmeyer will likely have to primary against current 94th District Representative Randy Frese of Quincy for the seat next year.

Two other G.O.P. Representatives have also been packed into a new district. Current 95th District Representative Avery Bourne of Morrisonville would be pitted against 99th District Representative Mike Murphy of southern Springfield in the newly formed 108th District. The new 108th runs against the new 99th and 100th districts to the east. It stretches from northwestern Sangamon County to the northeastern portion of Madison County.

Current 87th District Tim Butler sees his district turn into the new 95th District which stretches along the northwest of Springfield and then makes deer horns to the east, stretching down into Taylorville in Christian County and into the southwest corner of Macon County. The remainder of Springfield will stretch east to Decatur and be a part of current 96th District Sue Scherer’s newly created district. Butler voiced his frustration with the process yesterday saying Democrats are jamming through illogical maps: “We had so many people testify at the re-map hearings saying: ‘Don’t carve up my county. Don’t carve up my community.’ Petersburg’s house district goes all the way to the Quad Cities now. What does Petersburg have in common with Rock Island? That’s what I’d like to ask Speaker Welch, because that ain’t a community of interest at all. I think Leader Spain said over the weekend that there is 50 counties, a little less than half the state’s counties, have been divided up. We have small counties divided up into 4 House districts. That does not pass the smell test, folks; and that’s what happened on a 7:30 news dump on a Friday night while people weren’t paying attention. That’s the way the Democrats operate, and that’s the way they are going to jam these maps through at the end of the day.”

93rd District Representative Norine Hammond shifts north to the newly created 71st District, which now would touch the southern tip of the Quad Cities, and she will face off against fellow Republican Daniel Swanson of Woodhull. The 94th District, which will contain Schuyler County, will have to elect a new representative.

In Senatorial Districts, current 47th District Senator Jil Tracy would shift further east and take over most of the old 50th District. Current, 50th District Senator Steve McClure is set to lock up with the newly appointed current 48th District Senator Doris Turner in the new 48th District. The newly created 54th District which covers western Sangamon and eastern Macoupin and stretches east into Shelby County appears up for grabs.

The maps are expected to be finalized by next Monday.