The 4th congressional district of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

includes part of

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. ...

, and has been represented by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Jesús "Chuy" García Jesus ( AD 30 or 33) was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who most Christians believe to be the incarnation of God and Muslims believe was a prophet. Jesus may also refer to: People Religious figures * Elymas Bar-Jesus, a Jew in the ''Act ...

since January 2019. The previous version of the district from 2013–2023 was featured by ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

'' as one of the most strangely drawn and

gerrymandered Gerrymandering, ( , originally ) defined in the contexts of representative electoral systems, is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries to advantage a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. Th ...

congressional districts in the country, inspired the " Ugly Gerry" gerrymandering

typeface A typeface (or font family) is a design of Letter (alphabet), letters, Numerical digit, numbers and other symbols, to be used in printing or for electronic display. Most typefaces include variations in size (e.g., 24 point), weight (e.g., light, ...

, and has been nicknamed "earmuffs" due to its shape. That version of the district was created after federal courts ordered the creation of a majority-Hispanic district in the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

area. The

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in ...

responded by packing two majority Hispanic parts of Chicago into a single district. The 2013–2023 version of the district formerly covered two strips running east–west across the city of Chicago, on the west side continuing into smaller portions of some

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

areas in Cook County, surrounding

Illinois's 7th congressional district The 7th congressional district of Illinois covers parts of Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, as of the 2023 redistricting that followed the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. All or parts of Broadview, Illinois, Broadview, Bellwood, Illino ...

. The northern portion is largely Puerto Rican, while the southern portion is heavily

Mexican-American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

. These two sections were only connected by a piece of

Interstate 294 Interstate 294 (I-294) is a tolled auxiliary Interstate Highway in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. Forming the southern portion of the Tri-State Tollway in Illinois, I-294 runs from South Holland at I-80/ I-94 and Illino ...

to the west; the highway is in the district while the surrounding areas are not. This version of the district was the smallest congressional district in area outside

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Composition

The Illinois 4th congressional district was originally formed in 1842. It included 17 counties, which were

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (profession), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * C ...

Lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

, McHenry, Boone, De Kalb,

Kane Kane or KANE may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Fictional entities *Kane (comics), the main character of the eponymous comic book series by Paul Grist * Kane (''Command & Conquer''), Tiberium universe character in the ''Command & Conquer'' ...

, Du Page,

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, Kendall, Grundy, LaSalle,

Bureau Bureau ( ) may refer to: Agencies and organizations *Government agency *Public administration * News bureau, an office for gathering or distributing news, generally for a given geographical location * Bureau (European Parliament), the administra ...

Livingston Livingston or Livingstonemay refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North Am ...

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

, McLean,

Vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color family and pigment most often used between antiquity and the 19th century from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide). It is synonymous with red orange, which often takes a moder ...

and

Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in the state outside the Chicago metr ...

Counties. Beyond this

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

and Kankakee Counties were part of Vermillion and Iroquois Counties respectively at this point and thus in the district's boundaries. In the redistricting following the

1990 United States census The 1990 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 248,709,873, an increase of 9.8 percent over the 226,545,805 persons enumerated during the 1980 census. Approximatel ...

, Chicago Mayor

Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh ter ...

and Governor

Jim Edgar James Robert Edgar (born July 22, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 38th governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1999. A Moderate Republican (modern United States), moderate Republican Party (United States), Republican, he previously s ...

both wanted a Latino district, as Latinos were the fastest growing demographic group in the state at the time. In June 1991, Congressman

Dennis Hastert John Dennis Hastert ( ; born January 2, 1942) is an American former politician, teacher, and wrestling coach who represented from 1987 to 2007 and served as the 51st speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007. Hast ...

, a suburban Republican, filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the existing congressional map was unconstitutional; the present congressional district boundaries emerged as a result of that lawsuit. A three-judge panel of the federal district court adopted the map proposed by Hastert and other Republican members of the Illinois Congressional delegation. Subsequent lawsuits challenging the redistricting as racially biased did not succeed in redrawing the district boundaries. The district, as it was in 2009, was in some places less than 50 yards (metres) wide and parts covered no more than one city block.

By county

Cities and CDPs with 10,000 or more people

– 2,665,039 *

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

– 85,268 * Oak Lawn – 58,362 * Berwyn – 57,250 * Elmhurst – 45,786 *

Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...

– 29,439 * Melrose Park – 24,796 * Maywood – 23,512 * Brookfield – 19,476 * Bellwood – 18,789 * Franklin Park – 18,467 * Hinsdale – 17,395 *

Bridgeview Bridgeview is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately southwest of the Chicago Loop. As of the 2020 census, the village population was 17,027. History The earliest European settlement in Bridgeview occur ...

– 17,027 * La Grange – 16,321 *

La Grange Park La Grange Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, about west-southwest of Chicago. According to the 2020 census, the population was 13,475. Geography La Grange Park is located at (41.829831, -87.869233). According to the 2 ...

– 13,475 * Northlake – 12,840 *

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

– 11,617 *

Burr Ridge Burr Ridge (formerly Harvester) is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 11,192. Geography Burr Ridge is located at (41.753030, -87.919998). According to the 2021 census ...

– 11,192 *

Lyons Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

– 10,817 * River Grove – 10,612

2,500 – 10,000 people

* Riverside – 9,298 *

Clarendon Hills Clarendon Hills is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,702 at the 2020 census. It is a south-west suburb of Chicago. History The area that is now Clarendon Hills was a wide, rolling prairie bordering the eas ...

– 8,702 * Oak Brook – 8,163 * North Riverside – 7,426 * Stickney – 7,110 *

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

– 5,338 * Stone Park – 4,576 Due to the 2020 redistricting, this district will be primarily based around

's Southwest Side and central

County, as well as a portion of eastern DuPage. The 4th district takes in the

neighborhoods of Brighton Park, West Elsdon, and

South Lawndale South Lawndale is a community area on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois. Over 80% of the residents are of Mexican descent and the community is home to the largest foreign-born Mexican population in Chicago. The community is home to two dist ...

; most of New City, Pilsen, and

Chicago Lawn Chicago Lawn is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the southwest side of the city. Its community neighbors include Gage Park, West Englewood, Ashburn, and West Lawn. It is bounded by the CSX and Norfolk So ...

; the part of Clearing east of S Austin Ave and W Austin Ave; eastern Garfield Ridge; and half of

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Is ...

west of S Halsted St. Outside the Chicago city limits, this district takes in the

County communities of Brookfield,

, Berwyn,

, Brookfield, Forest View,

, Hinsdale (shared with DuPage County), Melrose Park, Northlake, McCook, Riverside, Stickney, Stone Park, and

; most of

; the portion of Franklin Park south of Franklin Ave; and part of Bellwood,

, La Grange,

, Maywood, North Riverside, Oak Lawn, and River Grove. DuPage County is split between this district and the 6th district. They are partitioned by Illinois Highway 64, York St, Euclid Ave, Illinois Highway 38, Illinois Highway 83, West 22nd St, Kingston Dr, Regent Drive, 31st St, Kingey Highway, East Ogden Ave, Naperville Rd, Middaugh Rd, West Chicago Ave, North Prospect Ave, Walker Ave, 55th St, and 59th St. The 4th district takes in the municipalities of Hinsdale (shared with Cook County); and part of

, Elmhurst, and Oak Brook.

Recent election results from statewide races

History

2011 redistricting

The 4th district includes the Chicago community of Brighton Park, in addition to almost all of Hermosa, Lower West Side and Gage Park; parts of Albany Park, Irving Park, Avondale, Logan Square, West Town, Humboldt Park,

Belmont Cragin Belmont Cragin is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located on the Northwest Side of the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is designated Community Area 19, and is located NW of the Loop. Surrounding community areas include: ...

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, McKinley Park,

, New City, West Elsdon and Archer Heights; portions of riverfront

; the portion of

North Center North Center is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois, located in the city's North Side. North Center is bordered on the north by Montrose Avenue, on the south by Diversey Parkway (Chicago), Diversey Parkway, on the west by the Chic ...

southwest of Clybourn Avenue; and the northwestern tip of

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US president Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, to near Ardmore Avenu ...

. Since the 2011 redistricting, the district also includes portions of Berwyn, Brookfield,

, Melrose Park, Riverside, River Forest, and Elmwood Park.Illinois Congressional District 4
, Illinois Board of Elections

Prominent representatives

List of members representing the district

Election results

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

References

* *
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

External links

''Washington Post'' page on the 4th District of IllinoisU.S. Census Bureau – 4th District Fact Sheet
* {{coord, 41, 49, 55, N, 87, 42, 36, W, region:US_type:city_source:kolossus-eswiki, display=title 04 Congress-04 Constituencies established in 1843 1843 establishments in Illinois