A recent Politico reported showed House Democrats will likely struggle to retain power after congressional redistricting is completed nationwide.
“Of the 33 GOP incumbents who won in 2020 by 8 points or fewer — a generous margin for a House race — 15 represent states where Republicans have total control over redistricting, according to a POLITICO analysis,” the report stated.
“Of the 33 Democratic incumbents who won by the same margin, only 5 live in a state where their party will craft new maps: Bustos and Reps. Lauren Underwood and Sean Casten in Illinois and Reps. Steven Horsford and Susie Lee in Nevada,” it added.
The Trump era created tons of possible new pickups for House Dems. But many of them will disappear during redistricting, leaving Democrats a narrow path to hold the House. https://t.co/thCeJA1u94
— POLITICO (@politico) September 15, 2021
Southern states with rapid population growth represent some of the biggest change nationwide.
“The biggest fights could emerge in four populous Southern states where Republican control over redistricting could yield big gains in Congress – Texas, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina,” Reuters reported.
“Texas and Florida could pick up a combined five new seats in the U.S. Congress thanks to population growth, while Republicans in Georgia may pursue an aggressive gerrymander in response to surprise statewide wins for Democrats in the presidential and twin Senate runoff elections,” it added.
Democrats may try to place blame, but Republicans are working within the existing rules to build stronger advantages to take back the House in 2022.