“WASHINGTON ―Democratic governors are planning to invest at least $20 million dollars this year in gubernatorial races that could determine which party has control over drawing electoral boundaries in 2021.
The Democratic Governors Association’s announcement signals that the party is increasingly focusing on state races that could impact redistricting. Republicans, targeting low-profile state races in 2010, won those races and were able to draw congressional and statewide lines that significantly benefited the party. Congressional redistricting is only done once each decade, so control over the process has enduring consequences. The Brennan Center for Justice estimates Republicans hold an additional 16 seats to 17 seats in Congress because of gerrymandered maps.
During a press conference on Friday, Govs. Jay Inslee (Wash.), Dannel Malloy (Conn.) and Tom Wolf (Penn.) said the money would be spent in eight states: Colorado, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maine and Florida. The governors were in the nation’s capital Friday for the National Governors Association winter meeting, which hosts governors from both parties.
“There is a cancer on our democracy right now, and it’s called gerrymandering. And we know that there has to be a cure to that. And we know that the best cure is to elect Democratic governors who can stop this assault on democracy,” Inslee, the current DGA chairman, said.”
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