Thread by @AriBerman

After SCOTUS upheld partisan gerrymandering the fight over who will control next cycle of redistricting is biggest sleeper story of 2020

Read my new @motherjones feature about @ericholder’s plan to rebuild Dem power in states & pass fairer maps in 2021 motherjones.com/politics/2019/…

@MotherJones @EricHolder In state after state, GOP gets minority of votes but majority of seats because of gerrymandering

WI: 45% votes, 64% of seats

MI: 47% votes, 53% seats

NC: 48% votes, 54% seats

This is the kind of extreme election rigging John Roberts said federal courts can’t review

@MotherJones @EricHolder Funded by $30 million in dark money after Citizens United decision, GOP took over key swing states in 2010 & passed extreme gerrymandered maps to lock in power for next decade

Nearly a decade later, GOP still controls every still legislative chamber in MI, NC, OH, PA & WI

@MotherJones @EricHolder For years Dems neglected the states & lost nearly 1,000 legislative seats under Obama. This stunning chart tells the story

“This has been one of the big failures of our party,” says @TerryMcAuliffe. “We have not paid attention to the importance of redistricting”

@MotherJones @EricHolder @TerryMcAuliffe In 2017 @BarackObama & @ericholder launched @DemRedistrict as long overdue effort to rebuild Dem power in states & pass fairer maps. In 2018 Dems flipped 300 state legislative seats & now within a few seats of taking back leg chambers in VA, PA, NC, MN, AZ & MI in 2019/2020

@MotherJones @EricHolder @TerryMcAuliffe @BarackObama @DemRedistrict For new @MotherJones feature I traveled with Holder to Wisconsin, “ground zero for gerrymandering.” In 2018 WI GOP got 45% of votes but 64% of seats. They used this gerrymandered majority to pass voter suppression laws & lame duck legislative coup motherjones.com/politics/2019/…

@MotherJones @EricHolder @TerryMcAuliffe @BarackObama @DemRedistrict State-level Dems worry 25 presidential candidates overshadowing critical state races. In April Dems lost key race for WI Supreme Court. @ericholder campaigned for liberal judge but no Dems running for president did. “This should be a wakeup for us” Holder told me

@MotherJones @EricHolder @TerryMcAuliffe @BarackObama @DemRedistrict State legislative elections in 2019 & 2020 will determine who draws redistricting maps in 2021 in most states. This is not getting nearly enough attention compared to prez campaign. “The next decade of democracy is on the line” says @jessicapost

@MotherJones @EricHolder @TerryMcAuliffe @BarackObama @DemRedistrict @JessicaPost This quote from @amandalitman is so important. $3 mil might not be much $ for Bernie or Biden but could make the difference in flipping multiple state legislative chambers. @runforsomething recruiting candidates in every district in 12 states @ericholder targeting in 2020

@MotherJones @EricHolder @TerryMcAuliffe @BarackObama @DemRedistrict @JessicaPost @amandalitman @runforsomething “Put simply, gerrymandering is cheating” - @ericholder

After Supreme Court refused to stop partisan gerrymandering, Dems have a new plan to fight back

@MotherJones @EricHolder @TerryMcAuliffe @BarackObama @DemRedistrict @JessicaPost @amandalitman @runforsomething Wisconsin is ground zero for gerrymandering. In 2018 GOP got 45% of votes but 64% seats in state assembly. That's insane

@MotherJones @EricHolder @TerryMcAuliffe @BarackObama @DemRedistrict @JessicaPost @amandalitman @runforsomething How Wisconsin became most rigged state in the country:

Extreme gerrymandering

Voter suppression

Lame duck legislative coup

@MotherJones @EricHolder @TerryMcAuliffe @BarackObama @DemRedistrict @JessicaPost @amandalitman @runforsomething There’s a massively important election in 2020. But it’s not the one you’re thinking of

2020 will decide control of state power for next decade. Pay attention to this