-By Warner Todd Huston
This redistricting has caused all sorts of heartburn for the Illinois GOP. One of the problems is that many pols have had the district in which their permanent homes are situated redrawn to a district that they weren’t elected to. So, we have politicians moving their residences to run in a re-mapped district. But does this make them carpetbaggers?
This re-mapping of his residence happened to Congressman Joe Walsh, for instance. Walsh’s home was in the 8th District but with the redrawn map his home ended up in the 14th District. It made him initially announce he’d primary Randy Hultgren for the 14th District. Walsh has since changed his mind and is now running in the newly re-mapped 8th. (walshforcongress.com/)
Jason Plummer also had a bit of a scramble downstate. He moved to a condo in O’Fallon, Illinois in the new district he’s running in. (www.jasonplummer.com/)
I have heard that other Illinois pols are facing these issues, too.
It may just be par for the course, but this moving around and jumping districts is not just being waved off by all Illinois voters as just a matter of ocurse. The website Downstate Illinois Advocate has a perfect example of this consternation. It’s all over the fact that Deputy Minority Leader, Senator John O. Jones is primarying State Senator Kyle McCarter in the 54th District.
The Advocate is calling Jones a carpetbagger for jumping from his own district to run in the 54th. The Advocate also feels it is punishment for the conservative McCarter for not bending over for the Ill. GOP establishment. And the question is asked…
Why do we tolerate this? Sen Jones could easily run in the district that encompasses where he lives but instead, decided to run against Sen. McCarter. Carpetbagging is the highest form of a politician being a self-centered. The fact that he or she would have the gall to think they are so important to a district that a district and its constituents just cannot live without them is appalling to me.
Finally, it should be noted that there is no residency requirement in Illinois. You just have to live in the state. But it has been tradition that if you run for a district you live in the district. After all, it’s too easy for an opponent to say you’re a carpetbagger if you are running in a district in which you do not live. Right?
