Illinois's 17th congressional district

Illinois's 17th congressional district
The 17th congressional district of Illinois
Current Representative Bobby Schilling (R–Colona)
Distribution 71.15% urban, 28.85% rural
Population (2000) 653,647
Median income $35,066
Ethnicity 89.0% White, 7.2% Black, 0.6% Asian, 3.7% Hispanic, 0.2% Native American, 1.3% other
Cook PVI D+3

The 17th Congressional District of Illinois covers much of west central Illinois, including the cities of Sterling, Rock Island, Moline, Kewanee, Galesburg, Canton, Macomb, Quincy, Springfield and Decatur, and areas in Henry, Whiteside, Rock Island, Mercer, Knox, Warren, Henderson, Fulton, McDonough, Hancock, Adams, Pike, Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Montgomery, Christian, Sangamon, Macon, Shelby, and Fayette counties. It is currently represented by Republican Bobby Schilling. Schilling defeated incumbent Phil Hare in the election of 2010.

The district is known as "the rabbit on a skateboard" for its unusual shape devised as the outcome of gerrymandering.[1][2] The boundaries were drawn in a bipartisan deal to protect both the Democratic incumbent and neighboring Republican incumbents. The lines of the district were drawn to move Republican voters into neighboring districts and to include Democratic neighborhoods in Springfield and Decatur.[3]

In the new map, effective with the 2012 elections, the more compact 17th district has shifted northward. It now includes parts of Rockford and Peoria and no longer includes Quincy, Decatur, or Springfield. As a result, the new map may ensure a Democratic majority.[4][5] Already, large numbers of Democrats have announced their intention to run for the seat.[6]

Contents

Voting

Election results from presidential races
Year Office Results
2008 President Obama 56 - 42%
2004 President Kerry 51 - 48%
2000 President Gore 53 - 43%

List of representatives

Representative Party Years District home Notes
District created March 4, 1873
William R. Morrison Democratic March 4, 1873 – March 4, 1883 Redistricted to the 18th district
Samuel W. Moulton Democratic March 4, 1883 – March 4, 1885 Redistricted from the 15th district
John R. Eden Democratic March 4, 1885 – March 4, 1887
Edward Lane Democratic March 4, 1887 – March 4, 1895
James A. Connolly Republican March 4, 1895 – March 4, 1899
Ben F. Caldwell Democratic March 4, 1899 – March 4, 1903 Redistricted to the 21st district
John A. Sterling Republican March 4, 1903 – March 4, 1913
Louis Fitzhenry Democratic March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1915
John A. Sterling Republican March 4, 1915 – October 17, 1918 Died
Vacant October 17, 1918 - March 3, 1919
Frank L. Smith Republican March 4, 1919 – March 4, 1921
Frank H. Funk Republican March 4, 1921 – March 4, 1927
Homer W. Hall Republican March 4, 1927 – March 4, 1933
Frank Gillespie Democratic March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935
Leslie C. Arends Republican January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1973 Redistricted to the 15th district
George M. O'Brien Republican January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1983 Redistricted to the 4th district
Lane Evans Democratic January 3, 1983 – January 3, 2007
Phil Hare Democratic January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Bobby Schilling Republican January 3, 2011 – Present Incumbent

See also

Gerrymander

References

  1. ^ "Electoral boundaries in America". The Economist. 7 October 2010. http://www.economist.com/node/17202149?story_id=17202149. Retrieved 8 October 2010. 
  2. ^ Aaron Blake (July 27, 2011). "Name that district! (Gerrymandering edition)". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/name-that-district-gerrymandering-edition/2011/07/25/gIQA17HucI_blog.html. Retrieved July 28, 2011. 
  3. ^ "5 Ways to Tilt an Election". The New York Times. 25 September 2010. http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/weekinreview/20100925-redistricting-graphic.pdf. Retrieved 24 November 2010. 
  4. ^ http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/27/979864/-Proposed-Congressional-map-provides-opportunities-for-downstate-Illinois-Democrats
  5. ^ http://www.rrstar.com/carousel/x230662730/Chuck-Sweeny-Rockford-stands-to-lose-big-in-the-new-17th-District?photo=0
  6. ^ http://www.galesburg.com/x1797065761/Another-Democrat-enters-race-for-17th

External links

Current districts: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
All districts: Territory At-large 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
The 20th – 26th and At-large districts are obsolete.
See also: Illinois's past & present Representatives, Senators, and Delegations, 2010 elections, 2012 elections
All U.S. districts – Apportionment – Redistricting – Gerrymandering – Maps