Prairie State Wire

Families and working professionals are leaving Illinois by the tens of thousands each year, and with the release of the 2020 U.S. Census data comes news that frustrates many state legislators: the Prairie State will lose yet another congressional seat, the fifth seat lost in 30 years. 

State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield) was one of many to point at the state's decades-long rap sheet of bad policy, incredibly high taxes and job growth stagnation as the reason why Illinois can't hold on to its population. 

Butler, who is the Republican spokesperson on the House Redistricting Committee, said the population loss reflected in the 2020 Census is "a great blemish on the prestige" of the state. 

"It really comes home to roost when it comes to our power in Washington D.C.," Butler said, noting that Illinois has a "strong history of tremendous influence" on Capitol Hill. "The fact that we've actually declined in population is stunning."

Illinois Policy reported that the state lost over 51,000 residents from July 2018 to July 2019 alone. Illinois is one of three states in the nation to see population declines and is the only state to lose numbers in the Midwest. However, Illinois was bested in population loss numbers by West Virginia. 

The Springfield Republican said the population dive and Illinoisans seeking better lives in neighboring Midwest states can be blamed on two decades of bad policy from the Democratic majority. 

"This is really a sad day in Illinois history when we see that our population has declined so much that we continue to lose seats and our presence on Capitol Hill," Butler said. 

The Census numbers will also be used to redistrict the state Senate and Representative borders. The representative said the proof of gerrymandering in Illinois is evident in its previous legislative maps versus its current ones.