Illinois 17 News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Few things are more american in american politics than gerrymandering. the division of areas in the district design to favor one party over another. pair of republican heavy hitters was in illinois today to try to blunt some of the effects of serious gerrymandering in the land of lincoln. correspondent steve brown has the story. >> upon research today for illinois congressman bobby shilling was in stereo, featuring twin republican speakers. former house speaker dennis hastert and current speaker john boehner. but democrats see an opportunity to chip away at boehner's team, the republican major...

Take the pencil. >> they have used the pencil to favor their party. >> as a result of redistricting there are at least four republican districts in that i would say are tossup or lead to democrat. >> for example, shilling district 17 went from a sprawling stretch that slightly favored democrats to a more compact area adding the cities of rockford and peoria. >> with redistricting it leans slightly more democratic than the previous 30 years. if you look at hard numbers it looks good. >> sherry, the democrat challenging shilling enjoys the support of the top congressional democrat senator dick d...

Seats in their drive to flip 25 and regain criminal of the house. in illinois 17, shilling thinks the redistricting plan could count on the coat tail of president obama in his home state. >> there is remorse with the independents and the soft democrats. >> shilling may have a point. in the redistrict that have been redrawn to favor democrat they're in within the margin of error, with the president on the ballot. bret? >> thank you. new foreign blame in the libya scand? plus the president pushes back on the daily show. we'll talk about it all with the fox all-stars when we come back. those litt...

>> they gave the speaker an a-minus that was his grade. americans give congress an f, it's dysfunctional all the aeu around. the house is not moving forward, the senate is not moving as it should and the country is not moving itself. >> reporter: republican congressman in this particular state are counting on dissatisfaction in this blue state and that they might be able to flip some district. steve israel is the head of the campaign to try to win back the majority for the democrats in the u.s. house, he believes there are five seats to pick up here in the state of illinois, illinois 17 is one...

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