Democrats desperately look for a redistricting edge in California, New York and Maryland - POLITICO

[In It to Win It]

Democratic leaders are feeling pressure to join a brewing redistricting battle that is threatening to upend the midterms landscape — an effort that is likely to slam into legal and political reality.

As Texas Republicans pressed forward with a redistricting blitz designed to increase the number of red seats in the state, officials in the biggest Democratic states scrambled for a response. In New York, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke with Gov. Kathy Hochul in recent days to discuss what a counter-effort could look like. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration talked to state election officials about the logistics and timing of a special election to overturn its nonpartisan commission. And Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker joined Newsom in meeting with Texas Democratic lawmakers on Friday about a strategy for stalling the GOP’s brazen attempt to carve out five new seats, per President Donald Trump’s demand.

The problem is Democrats don’t have many options. In conversations with more than a dozen state lawmakers and redistricting experts, Democrats’ best shot at redrawing a map lies in California, a heavily blue state with a huge number of congressional districts. They see the second-best option in New York, which saw Democratic gerrymandering efforts sputter in recent years, and Illinois, which is already a heavily pro-Democrat gerrymander. Far less likely options lie with Maryland and New Jersey, which have just four Republican-held seats between them.

Discussion of these options come as a debate rages within the party over whether to play hard ball to the same degree as Republicans.

“At this moment, it seems very clear that self defense is something we have to put as a priority,” said Maryland House Majority Leader David Moon, who introduced a bill this week that would force open Maryland’s redistricting process if another state pursues redistricting ahead of the U.S. Census. “If that’s where we are, and that’s where we’re forced to go, then I think that’s where Democratic states need to be prepared to go.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/26/dem-redistricting-00478136

[msongs]

1. sad that play nice is even considered nt

[displacedvermoter]

2. Fuck Politico

Everything is a struggle for Democrats while Republicans -- despite any "legal and political reality" -- are seemingly unstoppable, largely because the folks at Politico and their ilk are in cahoots with them.

[In It to Win It]

4. Well, in this particular political moment, we find ourselves a little handcuffed. That's just the reality of it.

California and New York, our biggest states to combat GOP redistricting efforts, have their commissions, state constitutions and state courts that stand in the way. The commissions in Democratic states take their redistricting duties seriously. The courts in Democratic states tend to not be a rubber stamp to a zealous Democratic gerrymander. That is great governance, but those are handcuffs we've given ourselves against in the larger redistricting battle against Republicans.

On the GOP side, there is Texas, Ohio and Florida that have signaled they are either open to redistricting or will do it.

Texas has the most free rein of any of these states. Their state constitution doesn't have any rules against it and they don't have a redistricting commission. There are no hurdles to redistricting for them.

Ohio has hurdles on paper, but not in practice. If I recall correctly, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that Ohio's maps were unconstitutional so they have to redraw their maps, but that was when the court had 3 Democratic justices and a moderate Republican Chief Justice who was very strict about enforcing Ohio's anti-gerrymandering amendments creating a majority. Those justices aren't there anymore as 2 of the 3 Democratic justices lost their elections, and the one moderate retired. After the 2024 elections, that court went from a 4-3 to 6-1 Republican majority. Also, Ohio has a redistricting commission that happens to be filled with Republicans.

Florida also has hurdles on paper, but not in practice. Florida has anti-gerrymandering amendments but so far no one with the power to enforce these amendments has shown any interest in actually enforcing them.

[Jersey Devil]

3. I don't think it would work in California

Unless I am mistaken, California has a bipartisan redistricting commission.

[fujiyamasan]

5. I think it would come back to the voters

It was passed via a ballot measure, so I may be mistaken but it would need to overturned the same way.

[In It to Win It]

6. I believe that is the case as well, and that is far from a guarantee if it became necessary.