Former attorney general Eric Holder Jr. made an urgent appeal to Democrats on Thursday to focus more attention on state elections, as he framed the coming battle over redrawing congressional districts as a pivotal fight in the effort to rescue the party from an era of Republican-dominated governance.
“Presidential elections are obviously important, but we lost sight of the fact that if you want to have a representative in Congress, you’ve got to make sure that you have state legislatures that are drawing districts that will yield a representative in Congress,” Holder said.
Putting his own twist on a gripe that President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly made during his campaign, Holder asserted that the “biggest rigged system in America is gerrymandering.”
The former top prosecutor made his remarks during an appearance at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, where he formally launched the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC). With Holder as its chair, the group will aim to influence the way districts are carved out after the 2020 Census.
No comparable Democratic groups exist. Republicans have been deploying hefty resources to state politics for years through national initiatives such as the billionaire Koch brothers’ vast political network. President Obama, who is not only a former boss but a friend of Holder’s, intends to put some of his post-presidential weight behind the NDRC’s efforts.
The organization’s launch comes at a low moment for Democrats. They are confronting deep uncertainty about their party’s future and faced with a daunting rebuilding project. A string of stinging electoral defeats has diminished their ranks in governors’ mansions and state legislatures in recent years.
On top of that, Republicans will assume control of the White House and Congress next week when Trump is sworn in.
Holder said his organization’s strategy will focus on three areas: making electoral gains in governors’ races and other state contests relevant to redistricting, arming Democrats with the legal firepower for court fights over maps, and trying to affect the ballot initiatives aimed at changing the maps.
The push will face tests this year in the Virginia governor’s race and possible special state legislative elections in North Carolina, which Holder identified as early priorities for the committee.
In most states, the drawing of congressional and state legislative maps falls upon state legislatures, with governors also having a say in the final product. After the election, Republicans control 32 state legislatures and 33 governorships, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Democrats acknowledge that Republican success in state elections leading up to the redistricting conducted after the 2010 Census helped them grab and cement their control of the U.S. House. The GOP holds a 241-to-194 advantage over Democrats.
“I think what we are seeing now is gerrymandering on steroids,” Holder said.
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