SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
democratic legislative campaign committee
DLCC Backs Redistricting to Fight GOP's 'Craven' Gerrymandering Scheme
The committee's president stressed that "building new Democratic majorities in our statehouses is imperative for putting Democrats in a stronger position now and at the end of the decade."
Aug 04, 2025
Top officials within the Democratic Party establishment signaled their support Monday for a redistricting push to fight back against Republicans' efforts in states like Texas, where the GOP unveiled a congressional map last week that critics say would dilute the power of Black and Latino voters in a way that benefits the GOP."
Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), said that to respond to GOP efforts that President Donald Trump is supporting to ensure the Republican Party maintains its majority in the House after the 2026 elections, "all options must be on the table" for Democrats.
Those must include "Democratic state legislatures using their power to fight back and pursue redistricting mid-cycle in order to protect our democracy."
The redrawing of congressional districts has traditionally happened at the beginning of each decade in response to the results of the U.S. Census, but the White House pushed Texas Republicans to call a special session to correct what the Trump administration's Department of Justice has claimed are "unconstitutional" district lines that have formed districts where Black and Latino voters have majorities.
The special session was initially called to discuss disaster relief for Texans following deadly flooding last month, but Republicans prioritized the redistricting proposal.
The redistricting effort could result in five more congressional seats for Republicans, and Trump has called for state legislatures in other GOP-controlled states to redraw their districts—including Ohio, the only state that's required to redraw its congressional map ahead of the 2026 elections.
As Common Dreams has reported, Democrats in Texas took action over the weekend to stop the state GOP from voting on the map on Monday, with more than 50 members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus fleeing the state—and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, also a Democrat, pledging to protect them from arrests that Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened.
"Looking at the state-by-state math, it is crystal clear Democrats must prioritize building and securing more state legislative majorities across the map if we want to go toe-to-toe with the GOP on redistricting now and in 2030."
Williams said that as the fight in Texas plays out, "the DLCC isn't going to sit back and allow Republicans to cheat the system to keep themselves in power" in states across the country.
"As Republicans rig the maps in Texas, the DLCC is armed with our national strategy to win the larger redistricting battle," said Williams. "Looking at the state-by-state math, it is crystal clear Democrats must prioritize building and securing more state legislative majorities across the map if we want to go toe-to-toe with the GOP on redistricting now and in 2030. Building new Democratic majorities in our statehouses is imperative for putting Democrats in a stronger position now and at the end of the decade."
The DLCC unveiled its 2025-26 Target Map, showing the legislative chambers Democrats "must win and defend this cycle," including Alaska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
The Republicans hold 57 state legislature majorities compared to 39 held by Democrats. GOP majorities oversee 55 seats held by Democrats, while Democratic state majorities oversee only 35 Republican-held districts—meaning there is limited room for Democrats to redraw districts in their favor to offset the GOP's efforts like those in Texas.
Democratic governors including Gavin Newsom in California and Kathy Hochul in New York have signaled support for redistricting efforts, with Newsom pushing for a special election in which voters would be asked to approve changes to California's independent redistricting commission.
"I'm exploring with our leaders every option to redraw our state congressional lines as soon as possible," said Hochul, whose state also has an independent commission, on Monday. "We're already working on a legislative process, reviewing our legal strategies, and we'll do everything in our power to stop this brazen assault."
Hochul also signaled agreement with the idea that her state's redistricting commission could be changed or disbanded, saying she and the Democratic Party are currently fighting against Republicans "with my hand tied behind my back."
Ken Martin, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, suggested he could support redistricting efforts, saying the party "should be ready to fight fire with fire to combat Trump and Republicans' craven scheme to rig the maps in their favor."
"But to end these desperate Republican schemes for good," he said, "Democrats need to win more elections up and down the ballot, especially at the state level."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Trump's Fascist Consolidation of GOP Advances as Haley Quits, McConnell Endorses
U.S. voters, said one campaigner, now have a choice "between an aspiring dictator who is running for office so that he can escape accountability and punish his political enemies, and a leader who will protect our democracy."
Mar 06, 2024
The Republican Party's lurch toward fascism appeared to accelerate Wednesday as former President Donald Trump notched two important political victories and fresh warnings emerged of the stark choice U.S. voters face with a 2020 rematch against President Joe Biden now all but certain.
Following a slew of Super Tuesday defeats and Monday's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court—which includes three Trump appointees—to block states from barring the presumptive Republican nominee from the ballot for engaging in insurrection, Nikki Haley dropped out of the GOP presidential primary and outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) endorsed the 77-year-old former president.
Christina Harvey, executive director of the progressive advocacy group Stand Up America, emphasized the stakes of the upcoming election, saying that "Republicans have effectively chosen an aspiring dictator as their nominee for president."
"Trump's plans to undermine our freedoms and our democracy should be chilling to every American, including his pledges to abuse his power to seek revenge on political opponents, pardon his violent allies, and purge dissenters from the federal government," she said. "Voters will face a clear choice this fall, between an aspiring dictator who is running for office so that he can escape accountability and punish his political enemies, and a leader who will protect our democracy and fundamental freedoms."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also warned against Trump and suggested the choice could not be more clear.
"Another Trump presidency would be a disaster—not only for our country, but for the world," Sanders said. "We will lose the fight against climate change. Women will no longer have control over their own bodies. Billionaires will get richer and working people will suffer."
Sanders, who ran for president in both 2016 and 2020, also spoke about the threat Trump poses during a Tuesday night appearance with late-night host Stephen Colbert.
Another Trump presidency would be a disaster — not only for our country, but for the world.
We will lose the fight against climate change.
Women will no longer have control over their own bodies.
Billionaires will get richer and working people will suffer. pic.twitter.com/hkdUyGkwzU
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 6, 2024
Haley, who previously served as South Carolina's governor and Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, was the last Republican challenging him. She suspended her campaign after winning just the District of Columbia and Vermont.
"I have always been a conservative Republican and always supported the Republican nominee," she said. "It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him and I hope he does that."
Responding to Haley's decision to exit the primary race, Biden said in a statement Wednesday that "Donald Trump made it clear he doesn't want Nikki Haley's supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign."
"I know there is a lot we won't agree on," he acknowledged. "But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to America's adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground."
"We all know this is no ordinary election. And the stakes for America couldn't be higher," Biden stressed.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) president Heather Williams also warned of the threat posed by Trump and his committed far-right allies nationwide.
"As Donald Trump solidifies his control of the Republican Party, we can't lose sight of the hundreds of MAGA Trump loyalists serving in legislatures across the country who pose a direct threat to our communities and our democracy," she said. "These MAGA die-hards will stop at nothing to advance Trump's dangerous agenda, even as he careens more and more towards becoming a hardline dictator."
"From pushing for a nationwide abortion ban to destroying the foundation of our democracy, a Trump presidency would be supported and enacted by his allies in state legislatures," Williams warned. "The DLCC is sounding the alarm on the dangers of a united MAGA front at the national and state level, and we are laser-focused on defeating MAGA loyalists in state legislatures."
Although the U.S. Supreme Court last June ruled against the independent state legislature theory that Trump supporters used to justify their attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, CNN's Marshall Cohen noted at the time that "the somewhat limited ruling leaves plenty of avenues for future election-related challenges, regarding how districts are drawn, the deadlines for mail-in ballots, and other key questions."
Trump has been the GOP front-runner since formally launching his campaign in November 2022 and recent polling shows him having a slim lead over Biden in this year's anticipated rematch. This, despite the Republican being impeached twice during his first term and now facing four criminal cases—two related to his 2020 election interference.
Biden has faced criticism from many Democratic and younger voters for not being bold enough in tackling the climate emergency and for supporting Israel's ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip, which is being investigated at the International Court of Justice as genocide.
Congressman Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), a longshot Biden primary challenger, suspended his campaign on Wednesday and endorsed the president for reelection, saying that "in light of the stark reality we face, I ask you join me in mobilizing, energizing, and doing everything you can to help keep a man of decency and integrity in the White House. That's Joe Biden."
Speaking on MSNBC after McConnell's endorsement on Wednesday, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said that he believes American voters "know who Donald Trump is," but the real question for 2024 remains: "Who are we?"
"Are we going to stand with democracy and freedom or will we lapse into some other kind of theocratic or autocratic kind of government?" the congressman asked. "That's really the question for the American people."
Raskin—who led the historic second Trump impeachment following the January 6, 2021 insurrection—also called out the ex-president for continuing "to campaign almost exclusively on his Big Lie and the idea that he was somehow cheated out of an election."
"He wasn't. He lost the election in 2020," Raskin added of Trump. "He's going to lose the election in 2024 because the vast majority of the people reject what it is he's selling."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Arizona GOP Bill Would Let Legislators Overrule Voters in Presidential Elections
"This is a full sound-the-alarm moment for American democracy," said one critic.
Jan 30, 2024
Just months away from a potential rematch between Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump, democracy defenders are sounding the alarm about an Arizona bill recently introduced by a GOP state legislator.
State Sen. Anthony Kern (R-27) is spearheading Senate Concurrent Resolution 1014, which says that "the Legislature, and no other official, shall appoint presidential electors." If it passes both chambers, the measure could appear on the November ballot.
As Arizona Republic columnist EJ Montini wrote earlier this month, "In other words, if such a law had existed when Biden beat Trump, the majority MAGA Legislature could have ignored the will of Arizona voters and appointed like-minded electors of their choosing who, in turn, could have installed Dear Leader as the victor."
"Arizona Republicans are attacking the most essential tenet of our elections: that the people decide their representatives."
"I would hope there isn't any need to actually to discuss why this is a horrible idea. Undemocratic. Un-American. Idiotic. It is not surprising, however, that it comes from someone like Kern," Montini added.
Kern was photographed outside of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, is under investigation for falsely certifying that Arizona's 2020 Electoral College votes should go to Trump, and has set his sights on Congress.
Montini is far from alone in raising concerns about the resolution. In response to reporting on the bill, the Pima County Democratic Party took aim at Republican politicians in Arizona, saying Tuesday that "they know they can't win."
Sam Paisley national press secretary for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which works to elect party members to statehouses, said in a statement Tuesday that "this is a full sound-the-alarm moment for American democracy. Arizona Republicans are attacking the most essential tenet of our elections: that the people decide their representatives."
"Since 2020, we've seen hundreds of Republican legislators across the country willing to support efforts to challenge and overturn election results, but this latest attempt to remove the will of the people from the presidential selection process is one of the gravest threats to democracy we've seen yet," she continued.
"The Arizona Republican Caucus continues to be a hotbed of MAGA extremism, and the only way to put an end to this MAGA extremism is for Democrats to break the GOP's control of both chambers this year," Paisley asserted. "Democracy is on the line in state legislatures in Arizona and across the country."
Progress Arizona voting rights director Casey Clowes warned on social media Tuesday: "Anthony Kern is trying to steal your vote! This anti-democratic insurrectionist has introduced SCR 1014 which purportedly gives the [Legistlature] the power to determine our election. He thinks he is entitled to decide election outcomes rather than Arizona's voters."
"Call your senator and tell them to vote NO on SCR 1014! Arizonans' voices deserve to be heard," added Clowes, sharing a Progress Arizona form that helps voters in the state contact their legislators.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular