NEW STUDY: Gerrymandering Saved Republicans 16 Congressional Seats in 2018
Forward Majority founder David Cohen released the following statement regarding a new analysis from the Associated Press outlining how a built-in gerrymandering advantage prevented 16 additional losses for the Republican Party in the 2018 congressional elections:
“For years, the Republican Party has used state legislatures to gerrymander Congress and suppress votes in states that are essential to winning the White House. Now, we have further confirmation that they have rigged the system.
“In a competitive election year, 16 seats could easily determine who controls the U.S. House and with redistricting just around the corner, 2020 will be our last chance to unrig these districts until 2032. If we don’t invest in critical down ballot races this cycle, we will quickly cede the House of Representatives back to Republicans.
“Our success in 2018 cannot lull Democrats into complacency. The combination of factors that created a Blue Wave last year are not reliable. This analysis reminds us: Republicans have spent decades building a system to deny fair elections and the will of the people, and we have to fight back now if we restore our democracy. We have to act before it’s too late.”
An analysis from the Associated Press showed that “Republicans won about 16 more U.S. House seats than would have been expected based on their average share of the vote in congressional districts across the country. In state House elections, Republicans’ structural advantage might have helped them hold on to as many as seven chambers that otherwise could have flipped to Democrats, according to the analysis.”
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