THE MAP IS RIGGED
Today, John Boehner is Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives thanks to an Ohio district
contiguous only at low tide, a Virginia district connected only by a boat ride on the James River, and
dozens of other gerrymandered congressional districts across the country.
The map is rigged — and Americans are paying the price.
In 2012, Democrats won a majority of the House popular vote, but only held a minority of the
congressional seats. Democratic congressional candidates received 1.4 million more votes, yet
Republicans won control of the House by a 30-seat margin.
Even in swing states that President Obama won, Republicans managed to score lopsided majorities in
their congressional delegations: Democratic congressional candidates won nearly half the votes in
Virginia but only 27 percent of its seats, and 48 percent of the vote in Ohio but only a quarter of its
seats.1 It was the second time in 70 years that a party won the majority of the vote but didn’t win a
majority of the House seats.2
What caused this historic imbalance?
Republicans at the state level used hyperpartisan congressional maps to put millions
of Americans on the losing side of the 2012
election — and every subsequent election.
GOVERNORS & CONTROL OF CONGRESS
Political analysts agree: there is a “vital
connection” between success in gubernatorial
elections and the ability to control the U.S.
House of Representatives.3
Governors play a key role in the redistricting
process in 35 states, which determines the
playing field for congressional elections.
2012 % OBAMA
VOTE
CONGRESSIONAL
DELEGATION
Michigan
54.3%
Republicans +4
Wisconsin
52.8%
Republicans +2
Nevada
52.3%
Republicans +2
52%
Republicans +8
Virginia
50.8%
Republicans +5
Ohio
50.1%
Republicans +8
Florida
50%
Republicans +7
STATE
Pennsylvania
Having a lock on the redistricting process allows
GOP governors to rubber stamp gerrymandered
maps that distort the electoral process and
result in Democrats winning proportionally
1
Griff Palmer and Michael Cooper, “How Maps Helped Republicans Keep an Edge in the House” New York Times
2David
3
Wasserman, “House GOP Won 49 Percent of Votes, 54 Percent of Seats,” The Cook Political Report
Thomas B. Hofeller, “The Looming Redistricting Storm,” Republican National Committee
fewer districts than their percentage of the popular vote.
That’s exactly what happened after the 2010 Tea Party wave, when Republicans took 11 governorships
from the Democrats. Thanks to the GOP’s gubernatorial and state-level victories, Republicans were
suddenly in the best redistricting position their party had seen in a generation. Under the leadership of
Republican governors, Tea Party mapmakers drew congressional lines in a way that ensured as few
Democrats would be elected as possible.
The historic electoral disadvantage facing Democratic candidates will be felt for the foreseeable future.
As long as Republicans continue to win at the state level, they will continue to control the U.S. House
of Representatives.
We cannot let history repeat itself. If Democrats do not take action now to prevent Republican
governors from controlling the redistricting process, 2020 is going to be 2010 all over again.
E L E C T D E M O C R AT I C G O V E R N O R S TO U N R I G T H E M A P
It’s time to unrig the map — and the first
step is to elect more Democratic governors.
The Brennan Center for Justice found that
winning governorships is one of the most
“important developments” that “set the
stage” for the redistricting process.4
In 35 states, Democratic governors can act
as a backstop against Republican
gerrymandering and can drive the process
toward fair representation for all Americans.
They can work with state legislatures to
draw more representative maps and, if
lawmakers fail to act, Democratic governors
can veto unfair maps.
Fair maps are where the congressional
delegation more accurately represents how
the state performs as a whole.
Implementing those maps in 18 states could
net Democrats well over the 30 seats
needed to regain the majority in the House.
If we hope to regain control of the House
it’s imperative that we elect and re-elect
Democratic governors in these states.
[Analysis and estimates provided by Clarity Campaign Labs.
Projected Democratic gains are based on fairer maps in
states where Democratic governors play a key role.]
4
STATE
CURRENT
MAP
FAIR
MAP
DEM
GAIN
R
D
R
D
Arkansas
4
0
2
2
2
Colorado
4
3
2
5
2
Florida
17
10
12
15
5
Georgia
10
4
8
6
2
Indiana
7
2
5
4
2
Kentucky
5
1
4
2
1
Louisiana
5
1
3
3
2
Maine
1
1
0
2
1
Michigan
9
5
6
8
3
Missouri
6
2
5
3
1
Nevada
3
1
1
3
2
Ohio
12
4
9
7
3
Pennsylvania
13
5
9
9
4
South Carolina
6
1
4
3
2
Texas
25
11
20
16
5
Virginia
8
3
5
6
3
West Virginia
3
0
1
2
2
Wisconsin
5
3
3
5
2
TOTAL SEATS GAINED
44
Brennan Center for Justice: Redistricting and Congressional Control: A First Look
THE GOP’S $100 MILLION MAPMAKING SCHEME
Republicans know that the battle for Congress is being waged in governors races. The GOP’s
Redistricting Majority Project and the Republican Governors Association spent more than $100 million
to create Republican majorities at the state-level.5
Republicans are already gearing up to keep a lock on the redistricting process in 2020. In fact, the
project never stopped — it’s only grown in scope and size. Leading 2016 presidential candidates like
former Governor Jeb Bush are even raising money for groups with longstanding ties to GOP
redistricting majority projects.6
F I G H T B A C K W I T H T H E D G A’ S R E D I S T R I C T I N G F U N D
To fight back, the Democratic Governors Association has established the
2020 Redistricting Fund.
Co-chaired by Virginia Governor Terry
McAuliffe and EMILY’s List President
Stephanie Schriock, the DGA’s Redistricting
Fund will direct additional investments to
target gubernatorial races where a
Democratic governor can have a
significant impact on the redistricting
process.
Our goal is to engage Democrats around
the country about redistricting and inform them about the pivotal role
played by Democratic governors. By picking up new seats and
protecting governorships already held by Democrats, we have an opportunity to transform the U.S.
House of Representatives and impact public policy across the country.
S P OT L I G H T O N S TAT E S K E Y TO R E D I S T R I C T I N G
Case Study: Virginia
Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe Fights for Fairness
VA-03
The Associated Press summed it up best: “Take a look at Virginia's congressional
delegation and you might think it's the same old reliably Republican state that
backed 10 GOP presidential candidates in a row, starting with Richard Nixon in
1968. But that 8-3 Republican advantage in the delegation is misleading.
Democrats have won every recent statewide election.”7
5
Stephen Ohlemacher, “GOP gerrymandering creates uphill fight for Dems in the House” Associated Press
6
Tarini Parti, “Jeb Bush aids down-ballot Republicans” POLITICO
7
“Gerrymandering distorts Virginia’s House makeup” The Associated Press
For too long, Republicans have controlled redistricting in
Virginia, putting partisanship first. Fortunately, Democratic
Governor Terry McAuliffe is now a backstop to stop
gerrymandered maps.
Republicans pushed through controversial redistricting maps in
2012 and they’ve been fighting ever since to keep those
gerrymandered lines in place — despite courts ruling that the
Republican map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.
As Republicans are forced to redraw the lines yet again, Governor McAuliffe’s veto power will be critical and
could potentially force the courts to re-draw Virginia’s map.
Case Study: Ohio
GOP Governor Gerrymanders with “Encouragement from House Speaker John Boehner”
The 2010 election “put Republican Governor John Kasich and his conservative allies in charge of the Ohio
redistricting process.”8 They quickly went to work drawing lines that would maximize the Republican’s electoral
advantage. Gov. Kasich even received “encouragement from House Speaker John Boehner” in his quest to
reduce the number of Democratic districts.
Unfortunately, John Boehner got his wish and Ohio eliminated one Democratic seat thanks to the map approved
by Republican Governor John Kasich. The GOP’s own redistricting report said that “with the election of
Republican John Kasich to the governor’s mansion, the GOP controlled the
redrawing of 132 state legislative and 16 congressional districts.”9
Pulling off this partisan trick, however, required some inventive
map making. MSNBC called one of the new Democratic districts
“an overcooked noodle of a district” that actually is only
contiguous at low tide.10 The lines drawn by Kasich and his Tea
Party legislature packed Democrats into just four districts and split
the remaining Democrats into 12 districts. These gerrymandering
techniques are known as “packing” and “cracking” districts.
The GOP’s map distorts and disadvantages Ohio voters to a devastating effect. Despite the fact that Ohio is one
of the most competitive states in the country — Barack Obama received 50% of the vote in 2012 — Republicans
now control 75% of the state’s congressional seats.
8
John Nichols, “What America Lost When Dennis Kucinich Lost” The Nation
9
“2012 REDMAP Summary Report” The Redistricting Majority Project
10
Jamil Smith, “Ohio gerrymandering costs Congress a liberal” MSNBC
Case Study: Michigan
Fewer Votes, More Seats for Michigan Republicans
Try and imagine a jagged letter ’S’ lying on its side. Too difficult to picture?
Just look at Michigan’s 14th congressional district. The twisted letter is, in fact,
a Republican tactic aimed at unfairly bunching together Democratic voters.
MI-14
Governor Rick Snyder and Michigan Republicans are the architects of this
deformed alphabet of congressional districts. After victory in 2010, they
redrew congressional lines. The result: Michigan, which resoundingly voted to
re-elect President Obama, is disproportionately represented by Republicans
Congress where the
GOP holds a 9-5
advantage in the delegation.
in
According to Bloomberg News, Michigan provides “one
of the best illustrations” of how gerrymandering helped
“give Republicans the upper hand.”11
Case Study: Pennsylvania
PA Republicans Win Redistricting Game
Republicans hold 13 of Pennsylvania’s 18 congressional seats.
But in 2012, Pennsylvanians cast about 83,000 more votes for
Democratic congressional candidates than for Republicans.
PA-7
Achieving this lopsided delegation
was the expressed goal of then-Governor Tom Corbett and Pennsylvania
legislature back in 2010. According to Terry Madonna, a political science
professor at Franklin and Marshall College, the map Corbett approved “was
created to protect the current Republican majority.”12
But drawing the lines in a way to boost the GOP required some inventive
cartography. For example, the New York Times described the Seventh District
outside Philadelphia as a “Rorschach-test inkblot of a district snaking through
five counties that helped Representative Patrick Meehan win re-election by
adding Republican voters.”13 The Republican-drawn maps helped ensure that the
GOP retained its 13-5 majority in the congressional delegation.
11
Chris Christoff and Gregory Giroux, “Republicans Foil What Majority Wants by Gerrymandering” Bloomberg News
12
“Corbett Signs Redistricting Plan Into Law” Keystone Politics
13
Griff Palmer and Michael Cooper, “How Maps Helped Republicans Keep an Edge in the House” New York Times