Here is the new district lines after the 2011 remap. Most of IL-1 is now far outside Chicago City limits -- The suburb of Evergreen Park is at the city's edge. Towns like Frankfort, Mokena, Manhahattan, Elwood, Palos Park, Tinley Park, are all staunchly Republican. Unfortunately, they don't have very large populations. Ironically, Bobby Rush's opponent this time is Mayor Don Peloquin, who is a solid conservative Republican but Mayor of Blue Island, a heavily Democrat town that's about 1/3rd white, 1/3rd black, and 1/3rd hispanic.
Rush's district has been substantically suburban even before the remap, as the 2002 remap put him all the way out in Orland to the edge of Cook County-Will County border. You just never heard about it since Rush ignores 80% of the district and pretends we don't exist outside the city (even the black suburbs of his district get zero representation). Which is why I find it amusing when Kirk/Dold's cheerleaders would make excuses for their liberal records by saying "a congressman has to work his WHOLE district and represent ALL his constituents, you know, he can't just cater to his base". Certainly news to those of us in the south suburbs.
