Gerrymandering is something that has been going on since virtually the first congressional seat maps were drawn.
I don’t like it, I don’t support it, but both sides do it, and they have done it for decades to maintain power when they control their respective state legislatures.
Democrats are often heard whining about it when taking place in red states, but they are often guilty of doing the same in blue states, only now they are no longer hiding their intentions.
As an example of Democrats expressing rage over GOP gerrymandering, we can go back to Republican plans to slice up Nashville, a district represented by a seat that has traditionally belonged to Democrats.
Heading into the 2022 cycle, the GOP suggested dicing this district up, disrupting a seat that was, at the time, held by Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) for nearly two decades.
John Cooper, the brother of the congressman, stated, "The decision to ignore Nashville is remarkably confusing -- so much so that one must conclude it’s just a partisan power grab."
He added, "This unfortunate decision will undermine Nashville and make Washington out of touch with our community."
For years, Illinois Gov. John Pritzker has hammered the GOP on gerrymandering, but heading into another election cycle where Pritzker could be running for president in 2028, he is now doing in his state what he has ripped Republicans for in the past.
The Princeton Gerrymandering Project, a nonpartisan group, graded the congressional maps approved by Pritzker with an F, and Democrats already had very favorable maps, winning 66.1% of the seats while only prevailing in nationwide voting with a 55% majority.
While Pritzker was arguing for maps that were more counterbalanced to give Dems a more significant advantage, State Rep. Amy Elik (IL-111) stated, “Governor Pritzker wants ‘rules for thee but not for me.’ Just a few short years ago, Pritzker happily signed into law some of the worst, most gerrymandered maps in the country that packed his supermajority legislature and Illinois courts."
She added, “House Republicans took a strong stand against gerrymandering and hold firm that voters should pick their politicians -- not the other way around. Suddenly, when Democrats aren’t the ones drawing the maps, Pritzker changes his tune. This is just gaslighting flop as he tries to safe face for his Presidential aspirations.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been hammering maps proposed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, yet now he is calling for the same type of plan to be put in place in California, not even disguising his attempt to gerrymander the maps.
In part, Newsom stated, “We may have the higher moral ground, but the ground is shifting from underneath us, and I think we have to wake up to that reality.”
Most governors do not openly admit they are gerrymandering, they usually just suggest that maps need to be redone to be more reflective of the current population and its political representation.
Again, I don’t like gerrymandering and would prefer a neutral party to draw these maps, but we all know that will never happen in today’s charged environment. Having said that, when the governor openly admits to gerrymandering, it makes it quite difficult to resist litigating the maps to block the move.
