Democrats Outline Plan to Pursue Redistricting in Up to 13 States
An internal Democratic strategy memo describes efforts to flip fewer than two dozen state legislative seats this year. Success in those races could create new opportunities for redrawing congressional maps in four states ahead of 2028.
nbcnews.comDemocrats are preparing redistricting efforts in as many as 13 states before 2028, according to an internal strategy memo obtained by Time. The plan focuses on flipping a targeted list of fewer than two dozen state legislative seats in this year's midterm elections.
The memo states that gaining control of state legislatures this year would affect power through the end of the decade and into the post-2030 redistricting process. Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, wrote that the current election environment offers an opportunity to build lasting advantages.
Williams said the committee has identified hundreds of flippable statehouse seats. Nineteen specific races, if won, would give Democrats control of the governorship and both legislative chambers in Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Democrats also see potential gains in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. They plan to strengthen existing majorities in Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
Republicans currently hold about 55 percent of all state legislative seats nationwide and control 57 chambers compared with Democrats' 39. Williams said an earlier period of restraint on redistricting has ended. She cited actions taken after the Supreme Court limited the Voting Rights Act in April as a factor in the shift toward more aggressive map-drawing.
"Redistricting is no longer a once-in-a-decade conversation," Williams wrote in the memo.
