(The Center Square) – A recent update on overcount and undercount estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau is playing into Illinois’ election-year politics.
Last year, the census said Illinois lost 18,000 people in the past decade. That led to Illinois losing a seat in Congress because of continued population decline.
Last week, the Census said a survey indicates it undercounted Illinois by nearly 2% and found possible counting mistakes in 13 other states.
Gov. J.B. Pritzer’s office said that means the state grew above 13 million for the first time in state history.
The incumbent Democratic governor’s reelection campaign used news of the survey to go after Republicans critical of the state’s high taxes and unfriendly business environment they say have pushed jobs and people out of the state.
“Every single Republican running for governor has built a campaign on fraudulent claims badmouthing Illinois and must face the truth: due to Governor Pritzker’s strong leadership, Illinois has a positive financial outlook, an influx of residents and, for the first time in a long time, is on the rise,” said campaign spokesperson Natalie Edelstein.
The campaign proclaims Illinois has grown to an “unprecedented 13 million.”
But the Census website doesn’t reflect a population of 13 million. It says Illinois’ population is 12.7 million.
Former state Sen. Paul Schimpf, who’s running in the Republican primary for governor, took to Twitter to criticize Pritzker’s characterization.
“Not sure whether it is due to mendacity or confusion, but JB Pritzker is once again misleading the people of Illinois,” the Waterloo Republican said on Twitter. “The US Census Bureau DID NOT revise our population upward – that’s not what the new report says.”
Not sure whether it is due to mendacity or confusion, but JB Pritzker is once again misleading the people of Illinois. The US Census Bureau DID NOT revise our population upward–that's not what the new report says.— Schimpf & Schofield for Illinois (@PaulSchimpf) May 20, 2022
Asked about the report at a stop in Springfield Saturday, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said he’s hearing people want to leave because of high taxes and more.
“They’re talking about leaving because they’re tired of crime, and they’re tired of corruption,” Irvin said. “So, what I’m hearing as I drive around the state is people are sick and tired of what’s going on and thinking about leaving and wanting to leave unless some change happens and we’re going to be those change agents in the state of Illinois.”
Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, who’s also looking for the GOP nomination, doesn’t trust the census numbers.
“Why all the help wanted signs … why is the state even having trouble finding people to go to work,” Bailey said on a Facebook video. “I’m gonna tell you something, it’s an election year, and there are election year gimmicks out there and do I trust government, even at the federal level, with this information? Absolutely not.”
In addition to Irvin, Bailey and Schimpf, also running for the Republican nomination for governor are businessman Gary Rabine, entrepreneur Jesse Sullivan, and attorney Max Solomon. Early voting for the June 28 primary election is underway.