Illinois Lawmaker Files Bill to Separate Chicago from Illinois, Creating 51st State

An Illinois lawmaker has filed a bill in the state capital to separate Chicago from Illinois, thereby creating the 51st state and freeing the state from Chicago’s baleful influence.

The bill is being cosponsored by Republican C.D. Davidsmeyer, the representative for the 100th House District in Jacksonville, a city in Morgan County, Illinois, in the central west area of the Land of Lincoln.

“It’s more of a frustration of the policies than the true belief that Chicago and Illinois would be better off as separate states,” Davidsmeyer said, according to Fox News.

Davidsmeyer claimed he cosponsored the bill to spark a discussion about how Chicago’s policy choices affect the rest of the state, most of which are not nearly as left-wing as the Windy City.

“The reality is the city of Chicago is competing with New York City and L.A. and San Francisco, and (downstate is) competing against rural Indiana and rural Missouri,” Davidsmeyer told the media. “The policies that come down from Chicago are actually pushing our economic opportunity away.”

“I don’t believe that Chicago and the state of Illinois should be separated. Our relationship is mutually beneficial,” he added.

HR0101 was initially introduced by state Rep. Brad Halbrook, who insisted that Chicago is at the forefront of launching a full-frontal assault on the values the rest of the state holds.

“Our traditional family values seem to be under attack at every angle,” Halbrook said. “We are trying to drive the discussion to get people at the table to say these are not our values down here.”

One example of those differing ideals is Chicago’s campaign against the Second Amendment. The bill notes that many of the counties in the state are bucking Chicago’s gun policies by declaring themselves “gun rights sanctuaries.”

“Numerous counties in the southern and central parts of Illinois are approving resolutions to become sanctuary counties for gun owners, while the City of Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the country,” the bill states.

“When you have a large population center that seems to control the agenda for the rest of the state, it just kind of creates some issues,” Halbrook added.

This is not the first time that downstate politicians have filed bills to banish Chicago from the rest of the state. As far back as 1981, a bill was filed to separate all of Cook County — Chicago’s home county — from the rest of the state. Other attempts have also been made to split Illinois into two states to banish Chicago from the rest of the state. One such effort in 2017 would have called the new entity the state of Potawatomi.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.