Could the endorsements in elections outside of district give a hint where Illinois Democrats may redraw the 14th?

About 2 weeks ago, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood’s (D, IL-14) Farm Team PAC announced endorsements in the spring 2021 elections. While no endorsements were announced for the February 23 primaries, 16 races on April 6 Underwood has chosen to make a public endorsement.

Some of the races are not contested, and of the 16, two are in McHenry County:

• McHenry Township Assessor Mary Mahady (D) – unopposed
• Former 4th Ward McHenry Alderwoman Bobbi Baehne running in the 1st Ward against incumbent Victor Santi, who’s seeking reelection as a write-in

The specifics of the McHenry city council race will be discussed once past the February 23 primaries.

But the locations of the other 14 endorsements were in contests not included in Underwood’s current 14th Congressional District, including:

• Gurnee village president
• DeKalb mayor
• North Aurora village trustee
• Aurora at-large alderman (open)
• Joliet park district

The Joliet race counts as simply another Will County resident, and Gurnee is too far into the current 10th Congressional District that will not be included in a new 14th Congressional District after the remap.

But the DeKalb mayor jumps out, as many believe to make the IL-14 safer for Underwood, will mean the inclusion of the entire city of DeKalb, including the Northern Illinois University campus. All of DeKalb County could very well be in the new IL-14.

The North Aurora and Aurora races are interesting, because currently, the Kane County portion of the city of Aurora, as well as the village of North Aurora, are within Aurora Township, and is included in the current 11th Congressional District of Congressman Bill Foster (D).

Indeed, when Cook Political Report‘s Dave Wasserman took a first cut at Illinois’ congressional districts remap last fall, he included Kane County’s Aurora Township and DuPage County’s Naperville Township (which includes the DuPage portion of Aurora) in the new IL-14, along with all of DeKalb County.

As was reported on Friday, detailed census data needed to do the remap will not be available until September 30, but since the Democrats are in complete control of the congressional remap, private conversations likely began just after the November election.

Especially when this map was published by Wasserman:

There are definitely flaws that will not make it to the final congressional map later this year (for example, drawing Adam Kinzinger’s Grundy County base into the 2nd Congressional District will not happen), other parts appear to be coming true, if Underwood’s 2021 endorsements are an indicator.

The entire list of the Farm Team PAC’s endorsements can be viewed here.