Rural counties in California and Illinois push to secede from blue states to separate from liberal-run cities: report

Residents in Rural Counties of Blue States Push for New States

A movement is gaining momentum in various rural counties across deep blue states like Illinois and California. Conservative residents are considering breaking away from their current states to form new ones, as they observe their peers moving to lower-taxed and less-regulated red states. These residents are eager for a separation from the urban areas of their states.

The group known as New Illinois State has even drafted a new constitution and is advocating for a way to “Leave Illinois Without Moving.” On Election Day, seven rural counties in Illinois voted to explore the possibility of splitting from the state.

Phil Gioja from Iroquois County expressed the sentiment, “There’s a lot of people in Chicago, and I think that they make a lot of decisions that affect people downstate. It’s just sending a message that, ‘Hey, you know, there’s people that would like to be part of the conversation, and often aren’t.’”

In Iroquois County, around 73% of voters supported the idea of joining forces with other Illinois counties (excluding Cook County) to form a new state, excluding Chicago, which houses about 40% of Illinois’ population.

While a separation is not imminent, some proponents of a rural divorce believe that an opportunity will arise. G.H. Merritt, the chair of New Illinois State, stated, “We always believed that our best opportunity to negotiate our way out of Illinois was when Illinois was approaching that financial cliff — it’s been on a path toward it for years.”

A similar movement has emerged in California, where the New California State organization aims to break away from counties outside major metropolitan areas like the Bay Area, Sacramento, and Los Angeles.

Paul Preston, the founder of New California State, criticized the current state as a “one-party communist state” and claimed that it had already seceded from the Union.

However, these movements face challenges in winning statehood as they would require approval from their respective state legislatures, which may be difficult to obtain.

Other State Separation Movements

In Oregon, the Greater Idaho movement hopes to redraw state lines so that rural counties beyond the Cascade mountain range can join conservative-led Idaho.

>A similar initiative took place in three Maryland counties — Garrett, Allegany, and Washington — which sought to join West Virginia but have not made the transition so far.

The urban-rural divide has been a significant factor in domestic politics, with President-elect Donald Trump garnering significant support in rural areas and making inroads in traditionally blue states.

Throughout his campaign, Trump criticized liberal-run cities, claiming they were overtaxed, plagued by crime, and deteriorating. The divide between urban and rural areas continues to shape political dynamics in the United States.