Latest news with #NationalDemocraticRedistrictingCommittee
Politico
4 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Behind the Dem U-turn on redistricting
IN TODAY'S EDITION:— Dems used to be anti-gerrymandering. Not anymore.— Díaz-Balart confident ahead of funding fight— GOP fears Dem hardball on ACA credits Democrats are making a full U-turn on redistricting. But they insist they have no choice but to respond in kind when backed into a corner by Republicans, Nicholas Wu and Andrew Howard report. The last time Democrats were in power, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed a sweeping package of good-government reforms — including attempts to end partisan gerrymandering. Groups like the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, founded by former Attorney General Eric Holder, had long advocated for changing the system that allowed partisan gerrymandering. Now, Democrats have abandoned their initial hesitation to engage after Texas Republicans — backed by President Donald Trump — launched a mid-decade redrawing to give the GOP five additional seats. Progressives are cheering on leaders like Gov. Gavin Newsom, who triggered the effort to expand the party's advantage in California by sifting away as many as five seats from Republicans — potentially offsetting the Texas redraw. 'Democrats must respond to Republicans' blatant partisan power grab,' Pelosi said in a statement to POLITICO. 'Democrats cannot and will not unilaterally disarm.' She noted the party continues to support laws to create nationwide independent redistricting commissions. NDRC President John Bisognano said the committee is now 'taking a posture that we're not going to oppose states taking corrective and temporary measures.' Other Democrats are still aiming for the high road. Rep. Jamie Raskin argued the party should revive its previous efforts — like the For the People Act and a narrower measure aimed at restoring the 1965 Voting Rights Act — and eventually go even further by implementing multi-member congressional districts and ranked-choice voting. But even he acknowledged their limitations under Republican control. 'I would rather fight fire with water and put gerrymandering out of business,' Raskin said. 'But if the Republicans are going to plunge us into a race to the bottom, then we have to fight back with every means at our disposal.' TGIF. Email us: crazor@ mmccarthy@ and bguggenheim@ THE LEADERSHIP SUITE No. 2 House Appropriator talks fall funding fight Ahead of the government funding deadline this September, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, vice chair of House Appropriations, says he's confident that all 12 spending bills will get floor votes — despite the GOP's track record in the previous Congress of having to pull appropriations bills from consideration or watch them collapse. 'The goal is, obviously, to continue to move those bills. We just need floor time,' Díaz-Balart told Mia in an interview Thursday. 'And I'm pretty confident that we will.' The House has passed two appropriations bills so far. He also said the Senate's ability to pass its three-bill 'minibus' earlier this month on a bipartisan basis is 'really helpful' to the cause of finding common ground on a larger package to avoid a shutdown Oct. 1. But he acknowledged negotiations will come down to congressional leaders and the White House. 'That's really not in the hands of the appropriators,' Díaz-Balart said of shutdown talks. 'That's above our pay grade.' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, meanwhile, noted in an interview with ABC News Thursday that he has not heard from Republicans after sending a letter to Thune and Johnson earlier this week asking for a meeting on the appropriations process. What Jeffries has been up to this week Jeffries was home in New York City this week to mingle with voters and attack the GOP megabill. Jeffries delivered keynote remarks at a leadership conference, where he panned the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as an attack on health care, organized labor and well-paying jobs. He also appeared at an outdoor office hours event with City Council member Chris Banks, attended events promoting police-community partnerships, met with anti-gun violence organizations and youth in Brownsville and toured medical facilities in Bed-Stuy. POLICY RUNDOWN GOP FEARS DEM HARDBALL ON ACA CREDITS — Rumors are spreading on Capitol Hill that Democrats are going to drive a hard bargain when it comes extending enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits that are set to expire at year's end. Members of both parties are eyeing a year-end bipartisan health care package, and Democrats and a handful of Republicans believe that an extension of the sunsetting tax credits should be a part of it. Democrats and Republicans are wary of political fallout if Congress allows the credits to sunset, which could cause millions of people to lose their insurance heading into an election year. But one person close to House Republican leadership – granted anonymity to speak candidly – tells Benjamin some Republicans suspect that Democrats intend to weaponize this dynamic. They would do so by refusing to shore up the votes for extending the credits in a larger health care package unless Republicans agree to other partisan demands, like approving additional funding for community health centers. A person close to Senate Democratic leadership insisted Democrats are focused on extending the enhanced credits and that it's too early to be talking strategy for notching that win. TEXAS REPUBLICANS PRESS SMITHSONIAN ON MEGABILL LOBBYING — Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Randy Weber pressed the chancellor of the Smithsonian in a new letter Thursday about potential violations of anti-lobbying rules with regard to implementation of the GOP's megabill. The lawmakers cite reporting that Smithsonian Institution employees took steps to oppose a provision in the bill that will require the relocation of the NASA space shuttle, Discovery, from the National Air and Space Museum in Washington to the NASA-run Johnson Space Center in Houston. 'We urge your office and the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents to conduct a comprehensive internal review of the Institution's communications, expenditures, and outreach activities related to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' the lawmakers write. A spokesperson for the Smithsonian did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: THE BEST OF THE REST How Mike Johnson Became Trump's Speaker, from Eric Cortellessa and Nik Popli at TIME He could have been the GOP's voice on crime, but his faith intervened, from Emily Davies at The Washington Post THE CARRYOUT Welcome back to your Inside Congress hosts' favorite recess activity: sharing lawmakers' Capitol Hill food recommendations. Sen. Tina Smith is a big fan of Cups (like the rest of us). She said she likes to get the orange chicken from its hot bar. 'It always feels sort of indulgent, like not that healthy,' Smith said. 'But then my fallback is a BLT, so how good is that?' What's your indulgent Cups order? Email us: mmccarthy@ and crazor@ JOB BOARD Laura Flores is now digital director for Colin Allred's Texas Senate campaign. She previously was digital comms director at Student Turnout Projects by Strategic Victory Fund and is a David Trone alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Ron Klain … Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group … Jay Gertsema … Samantha Cantrell of Rep. David Kustoff's office … JoJo Duchesne of Rep. Adam Gray's office … Catharine Cypher … Mike Dankler … former Michigan Gov. Jim Blanchard … Bipartisan Policy Center's Joe Walsh … Ted Thompson of Easterseals … American Conservation Coalition's Sarah Rosa TRIVIA THURSDAY'S ANSWER: Joan Kleiman correctly answered that the first overnight session in the Senate was in 1915, to debate the Ship Purchase Act. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Joan: Who was the first president to receive the Nobel Peace Prize? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans are full steam ahead on redistricting — and not just in Texas
Redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms is at the center of the political universe this week, and Vice President JD Vance's visit to Indiana on Thursday is a big signal the White House isn't backing off the strategy anytime soon. Vance's visit to a state to ask lawmakers to redistrict is a significant escalation from the White House, which was pressuring Texas Republicans behind closed doors to redraw the state's congressional map. Republicans could draw 10 or more new seats that advantage the party ahead of the midterms. Later this year, Ohio will be legally forced to remap the state, potentially giving Republicans up to three more seats there. And talks are underway in Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida. Trump's team is putting 'maximum pressure on everywhere where redistricting is an option and it could provide a good return on investment,' according to a person familiar with the team's thinking and granted anonymity to describe it. While Democratic efforts to counter Texas are well underway, including lawmakers who continue to deny Republicans in Austin quorum over a new congressional map that could net up to five seats for the GOP, the party's options are far more limited. Republicans know it, too. 'In an arms race where there's a race to gerrymander the most, there's not a scenario where they have more seats than we do,' a GOP operative, granted anonymity to speak about party strategy, told POLITICO last week. That's because a handful of Democratic-leaning states — including California — handed mapmaking power to independent commissions instead of leaving it in the hands of the state legislatures. States where Democrats retain the power to gerrymander, like Illinois and Maryland, have very little room to draw more advantageous maps than their current ones. "If the Democrats want to roll the dice in Maryland, let them roll the dice," said Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), the state's lone Republican in Congress. "I look forward to having more Republican colleagues." Democrats say it's too soon to dismiss the efforts happening in California and New York, whatever legal or logistical hurdles stand in their way. 'It's a more complicated endeavor in some of the bigger states,' said John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. 'That doesn't make it any less real.' As it stands, Republican state lawmakers nationwide oversee 55 Democratic congressional seats, and Democratic state majorities oversee just 35 held by the GOP, according to an analysis by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which this week became the first party-aligned group to endorse mid-cycle redistricting. Many Democrats say it's time to fight back, even with limited options. The DLCC, for example, is arguing that 'Democrats must reassess our failed federal-first strategy and get serious about winning state legislatures ahead of redistricting,' according to a recent memo shared with POLITICO. Even with an advantage, it's no sure bet for Republicans. Redrawing maps mid-cycle comes with risks, since the 2020 census data underpinning current maps is outdated. In some cases that creates a so-called dummymander, where a redraw intended to help one party actually favors the other. Democrats already vowed to fight the new map in Texas — and likely elsewhere — in court, and they say Republicans are pushing for redraws because they have steep odds of keeping control of the House next year. 'I can't think of a weaker position for a president to be in than sending his vice president around state to state to beg them to gerrymander and cheat on their behalf,' Bisognano said. 'Being in a position where their legislation and popularity is so low that this is their only option is breathtaking.' Within the GOP, some are still hesitant to take up the issue. Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun told POLITICO on Tuesday there are 'no commitments' to redraw the map. But Texas lawmakers, too, were hesitant until the White House got involved. Now, they stand ready to pass a new map once they can get Democratic lawmakers to return. Jordan Wolman and Lisa Kashinsky contributed to this report. Like this reporting? Subscribe to Morning Score. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report misstated the name of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Obama blasts Texas GOP redistricting plan as a 'power grab'
"We can't lose focus on what matters - right now, Republicans in Texas are trying to gerrymander district lines to unfairly win five seats in next year's midterm elections," Obama said. More: Trump says Republicans are 'entitled' to more congressional seats in Texas Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who chairs the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, has helped lead Democratic efforts to fight the proposed Texas maps. Holder called the effort "an authoritarian move" during an Aug. 3 appearance on ABC's "This Week." Redistricting is required by federal law every 10 years following the release of new U.S. Census Bureau figures; however, Trump pushed Texas Republicans to jumpstart the process in the middle of the decade. The president argued during an Aug. 5 appearance on CNBC that Republicans "are entitled to five more seats" in Texas because of his 2024 election victory in the state. The 38-member Texas congressional delegation is currently comprised of 25 Republicans, 12 Democrats and there is one vacant seat that leans Democratic. The new maps, advanced by a Texas legislative committee Aug. 2, create five new GOP-leaning districts and target Democratic incumbents, which would give Republicans in Congress more cushion to defend their slim House majority of 220-212. Abbott this week ordered Texas law enforcement to arrest Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to prevent the legislature from having a quorum to block a vote on redistricting. More: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott orders arrest of Democratic lawmakers who fled over redistricting The plan has ignited a nasty and partisan tug-of-war with Democratic governors in Illinois, New York and California pledging to return the favor and redraw their congressional maps to add more Democratic districts. In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed temporarily setting aside his state's independent redistricting commission to create new Democratic-leaning congressional districts. House Democrats in the California legislature took steps this week toward a plan that could create up to six new gerrymandered Democratic congressional seats to offset the redistricting in Texas. The California legislature is on track to vote on a redistricting proposal the week of Aug. 18, which would put the new maps before voters during a Nov. 4 special election. Contributing: Phillip Bailey of USA TODAY
USA Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Obama calls Texas GOP's redistricting plan a 'power grab that undermines our democracy'
WASHINGTON – Former President Barack Obama jumped into the nation's cross-country redistricting fight, calling Texas Republicans' push to add five new GOP congressional seats "a power grab that undermines our democracy." Obama's remarks, made in a statement posted Aug. 5 on X, come as President Donald Trump has pressured Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Republicans in the GOP-controlled Texas state legislature to approve new congressional maps to help Republicans maintain control of the U.S. House during the 2026 midterm elections. "We can't lose focus on what matters – right now, Republicans in Texas are trying to gerrymander district lines to unfairly win five seats in next year's midterm elections," Obama said. More: Trump says Republicans are 'entitled' to more congressional seats in Texas Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who chairs the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, has helped lead Democratic efforts to fight the proposed Texas maps. Holder called the effort "an authoritarian move" during an Aug. 3 appearance on ABC's "This Week." Redistricting is required by federal law every 10 years following the release of new U.S. Census Bureau figures; however, Trump pushed Texas Republicans to jumpstart the process in the middle of the decade. The president argued during an Aug. 5 appearance on CNBC that Republicans "are entitled to five more seats" in Texas because of his 2024 election victory in the state. The 38-member Texas congressional delegation is currently comprised of 25 Republicans, 12 Democrats and there is one vacant seat that leans Democratic. The new maps, advanced by a Texas legislative committee Aug. 2, create five new GOP-leaning districts and target Democratic incumbents, which would give Republicans in Congress more cushion to defend their slim House majority of 220-212. Abbott this week ordered Texas law enforcement to arrest Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to prevent the legislature from having a quorum to block a vote on redistricting. More: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott orders arrest of Democratic lawmakers who fled over redistricting The plan has ignited a nasty and partisan tug-of-war with Democratic governors in Illinois, New York and California pledging to return the favor and redraw their congressional maps to add more Democratic districts. In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed temporarily setting aside his state's independent redistricting commission to create new Democratic-leaning congressional districts. House Democrats in the California legislature took steps this week toward a plan that could create up to six new gerrymandered Democratic congressional seats to offset the redistricting in Texas. The California legislature is on track to vote on a redistricting proposal the week of Aug. 18, which would put the new maps before voters during a Nov. 4 special election. Contributing: Phillip Bailey of USA TODAY
03-08-2025
- Politics
Eric Holder backs Democratic response to Texas redistricting plan
Eric Holder, chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, called Texas' attempt to redraw its congressional maps for the second time in less than a decade 'an authoritarian move' by the White House. Holder, attorney general under President Barack Obama, has led the charge among Democrats to eliminate gerrymandering for years. But speaking with "This Week With George Stephanopoulos" on Sunday, Holder said that Texas' plan means Democrats need to 'do things that perhaps in the past I would not have supported.' 'I think that responsible Democrats in other states have to take into account the threat to our democracy, the need to preserve our democracy, so that we can ultimately try to heal it,' Holder said. 'And I would hope that they will take steps that are, again, as I said, temporary but responsible.' 'And we're seeing talk about that in California, we're seeing talk about that in New York, as well. "But those attempts are more longshots, aren't they?' Stephanopoulos asked, referring to laws on the books in those states that protect against partisan gerrymandering. Trump's political operation floated the prospect of redistricting in June in efforts to shore up the GOP's fragile House majority. Trump said his party could pick up five seats if Texas redraws its congressional map. He suggested that there "could be" other states that follow suit but didn't identify them. The Department of Justice told Texas in a letter in July that four majority-minority districts represented by Democrats needed to be redrawn, arguing they were "unconstitutional racial gerrymanders." While Holder conceded that the actions Democrats could take would ultimately depend on each state, he argued that those protections are an advantage. 'What they're trying to do in Texas is simply impose a new map on, an unpopular new map, on the people of Texas. To do it in California, you actually have to go to the people and ask them to suspend that which they have in place, which is a really well-functioning, independent redistricting committee,' Holder said. 'So the people will have a voice in what California does. The people do not have a voice, a meaningful voice, it appears so far in Texas.'
