Nearly a thousand miles and opposite sides of the political spectrum separate Illinois and Texas. Yet there’s one thing Democrats in the Land of Lincoln and Republicans in the Lone Star State can agree on: Gerrymandering works.

For political operatives, the crafting of partisan redistricting maps is the miracle elixir that cures party ills and keeps politicians entrenched for generations. Like in Illinois and Texas.

Which is why dozens of Texas Democrats have fled Austin, the state capitol, and are glamping in Chicagoland. They do not want to be part of a legislative quorum, which would allow the state’s Republicans to redistrict upward of five new bright-red congressional districts.

On its face, it seems supremely unfair attempting to wipe out constitutional guarantees of “one man, one

See Full Page