Peoria Standard

The numbers are in for the official 2020 U.S. Census data, and Illinois has experienced a population drop for the first time in two centuries, confirming an outcome that many have long feared: a congressional seat is being taken away from the Prairie State.

In an April 26 WGN News report, State Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) said the population decline and the consequential loss in Congress is a sign that Illinois is on a decline in national power. 

"High taxes, business unfriendliness, these very issues that have been dominated by the Democratic majority in the State of Illinois for decades have real consequences," Spain said. 

Illinois is one of three states to have lost population, WGN said. The drop is the second-highest amount in the nation behind West Virginia. The state's number of congressional districts will descend from 18 to 17. 

Illinois Policy blamed poor public policy for the lack of competitive housing and employment opportunities compared to Illinois' Midwestern neighbors and beyond. The policy organization reported that nearly half of all residents have considered moving out of state, with high taxes being the driving reason. 

While the data recently released is not the full report and the detailed numbers needed for redistricting the state's legislative borders are not yet available, Democrats are pushing forward with their plan to use what data is available to get a final draft of the new districts on Pritzker's desk by June 30. 

Unless the governor follows through on his campaign promise to veto a partisan map, one of the state's GOP districts is likely to be eliminated.