Exodus from Illinois will 'almost assuredly' cost the state two seats in Congress

Springfield, ILL. — An Illinois congressman said the latest census estimates pretty much solidified Illinois will be losing two congressional seats when the 2020 census is complete.

"I'm not surprised that Illinois is now looking to move from possibly losing two seats to almost assuredly losing two seats," Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, said.

The census estimates released Thursday showed population losses in 86 of Illinois' 102 counties.

Overall, the report shows the state has lost more than 45,000 people in a year, resulting in the fifth straight year of a declining population.

Davis said he’s not surprised by the estimates and added it's likely the state’s high taxes that have driven people out.

“We’ve got to make sure we do everything we can to put more money in the pockets of families instead of taking it out of their pocketbooks and otherwise, we’re going to continue to see the population leave,” Davis said.

Davis is concerned about Democrats having super-majorities in both chambers of the legislature and a Democratic governor because the state is in charge of redrawing congressional maps.