| Illinois's 4th congressional district | |
|---|---|
.svg)  Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 | |
| Representative | |
| Area | 97.0 mi2 (251 km2) |
| Distribution |
|
| Population (2024) | 712,078 |
| Median household income | $80,103[1] |
| Ethnicity |
|
| Cook PVI | D+17[2] |
The4th congressional district ofIllinois includes part ofCook County, and has been represented byDemocratJesús "Chuy" García since January 2019.
The previous version of the district from 2013–2023 was featured byThe Economist as one of the most strangely drawn andgerrymandered congressional districts in the country,[3] inspired the "Ugly Gerry" gerrymanderingtypeface,[4] and has been nicknamed "earmuffs" due to its shape.[5] That version of the district was created after federal courts ordered the creation of a majority-Hispanic district in theChicago area. TheIllinois General Assembly responded bypacking 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 somesuburban areas in Cook County, surroundingIllinois's 7th congressional district. The northern portion is largelyPuerto Rican, while the southern portion is heavilyMexican-American. These two sections were only connected by a piece ofInterstate 294 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 outsideNew York City andCalifornia.[6]
The Illinois 4th congressional district was originally formed in 1842. It included 17 counties, which wereCook,Lake,McHenry,Boone,De Kalb,Kane,Du Page,Will,Kendall,Grundy,LaSalle,Bureau,Livingston,Iroquois,McLean,Vermilion andChampaign Counties. Beyond thisFord andKankakee Counties were part of Vermillion and Iroquois Counties respectively at this point and thus in the district's boundaries.[7]
In the redistricting following the1990 United States census, Chicago MayorRichard M. Daley and GovernorJim Edgar both wanted a Latino district, as Latinos were the fastest growing demographic group in the state at the time. In June 1991, CongressmanDennis Hastert, a suburban Republican, filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the existing congressional map was unconstitutional;[8] 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.[9] Subsequent lawsuits challenging the redistricting as racially biased[10] 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.[11]
| County | Pop. | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 715,443 | 94.93% |
| DuPage | 38,234 | 5.07% |
Due to the 2020 redistricting, this district is primarily based aroundChicago's Southwest Side and centralCook County, as well as a portion of easternDuPage. The 4th district takes in theChicago neighborhoods ofBrighton Park,West Elsdon, andSouth Lawndale; most ofNew City,Pilsen, andChicago Lawn; the part ofClearing east of S Austin Ave and W Austin Ave; easternGarfield Ridge; and half ofBridgeport west of S Halsted St.
Outside the Chicago city limits, this district takes in theCook County communities ofBrookfield,Burbank,Berwyn,Cicero,Brookfield,Forest View,Lyons,Hinsdale (shared with DuPage County),Melrose Park,Northlake,McCook,Riverside,Stickney,Stone Park, andSummit; most ofBerkeley; the portion ofFranklin Park south of Franklin Ave; and part ofBellwood,Bridgeview,Burr Ridge,La Grange,La Grange Park,Maywood,North Riverside,Oak Lawn, andRiver Grove.
DuPage County is split between this district and the6th 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 ofHinsdale (shared with Cook County); and part ofClarendon Hills,Elmhurst, andOak Brook.
| Year | Office | Results[12] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | Obama 71% - 28% |
| 2012 | President | Obama 72% - 28% |
| 2016 | President | Clinton 72% - 22% |
| Senate | Duckworth 69% - 25% | |
| Comptroller (Spec.) | Mendoza 66% - 27% | |
| 2018 | Governor | Pritzker 70% - 25% |
| Attorney General | Raoul 69% - 28% | |
| Secretary of State | White 81% - 16% | |
| Comptroller | Mendoza 76% - 21% | |
| Treasurer | Frerichs 72% - 23% | |
| 2020 | President | Biden 72% - 26% |
| Senate | Durbin 69% - 22% | |
| 2022 | Senate | Duckworth 70% - 28% |
| Governor | Pritzker 68% - 29% | |
| Attorney General | Raoul 68% - 30% | |
| Secretary of State | Giannoulias 69% - 29% | |
| Comptroller | Mendoza 72% - 26% | |
| Treasurer | Frerichs 68% - 30% | |
| 2024 | President | Harris 63% - 35% |
The 4th district includes the Chicago community ofBrighton Park, in addition to almost all ofHermosa,Lower West Side andGage Park; parts ofAlbany Park,Irving Park,Avondale,Logan Square,West Town,Humboldt Park,Belmont Cragin,Austin,McKinley Park,South Lawndale,New City,West Elsdon andArcher Heights; portions of riverfrontBridgeport; the portion ofNorth Center southwest of Clybourn Avenue; and the northwestern tip ofLincoln Park.Since the 2011 redistricting, the district also includes portions ofBerwyn,Brookfield,Cicero,Lyons,Melrose Park,Riverside,River Forest, andElmwood Park.[13]
| Representative | Notes |
|---|---|
 John Wentworth | Elected the 21stMayor of Chicago (1860 – 1861) |
 William Kellogg | AppointedChief Justice of theTerritorial Supreme Court of theNebraska Territory (1865 – 1867) |
 John B. Hawley | Served as acaptain for theUnion Army during theAmerican Civil War |
 Daniel W. Mills | Served as a captain for the Union Army during the American Civil War |
 Stephen A. Hurlbut | Served as amajor general for the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861 – 1865) AppointedMinister Resident to theUnited States of Colombia (1869 – 1872) AppointedEnvoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary toPeru (1881 – 1882) |
 Walter C. Newberry | Served as abrigadier general for the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861 – 1865) |
 Abner C. Harding | Served as a brigadier general for the Union Army during the American Civil War (1862 – 1863) |
 George M. O'Brien | Served as alieutenant colonel for theU.S. Army Air Force duringWorld War II (1941 – 1945) |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Luis Gutiérrez (incumbent) | 133,226 | 83.0 | |
| Republican | Héctor Concepción | 27,279 | 17.0 | |
| Independent | Ymelda Viramontes | 4 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 160,509 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Luis Gutiérrez (incumbent) | 79,666 | 78.1 | |
| Republican | Hector Concepción | 22,278 | 21.9 | |
| Total votes | 101,944 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Luis Gutiérrez (incumbent) | 171,297 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 171,297 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jesús "Chuy" García | 143,895 | 86.6 | |
| Republican | Mark Lorch | 22,294 | 13.4 | |
| Total votes | 166,189 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jesús "Chuy" García (incumbent) | 187,219 | 84.05 | −2.54% | |
| Republican | Jesus E. Solorio Jr. | 35,518 | 15.95 | +2.54% | |
| Total votes | 222,737 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jesús "Chuy" García (incumbent) | 91,036 | 68.42 | |
| Republican | James Falakos | 37,352 | 28.07 | |
| Working Class | Edward Hershey | 4,605 | 3.46 | |
| Write-in | 54 | 0.041 | ||
| Total votes | 133,047 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jesús "Chuy" García (incumbent) | 139,343 | 67.51 | −0.91% | |
| Republican | Lupe Castillo | 56,323 | 27.29 | −0.78% | |
| Working Class | Edward Hershey | 10,704 | 5.19 | +1.73% | |
| Total votes | 206,396 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
41°49′55″N87°42′36″W / 41.83194°N 87.71000°W /41.83194; -87.71000
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