Redistricting News & Analysis

North Carolina: New Congressional Map Boosts Democrats’ Chances

by Ryan Matsumoto December 6, 2019 · 2:29 PM EST

On Monday, a panel of state judges in North Carolina ruled that a new congressional district map drawn by Republican state legislators will be used in the 2020 election. While Democrats argued that the map is still a partisan gerrymander that gives Republicans a likely 8-5 advantage, the judges unanimously…

SCOTUS Redistricting Decision and the Fight for the House

by Nathan L. Gonzales June 28, 2019 · 2:24 PM EDT

After much anticipation, the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in on partisan redistricting with a 5-4 ruling that it won’t weigh in on partisan redistricting now or in the future. And it’s likely that the current congressional maps will be the same for the 2020 elections. 

“The court holds that partisan…

At DGA, Pearson Quietly Pulling Democrats Back to Prominence

by Nathan L. Gonzales February 21, 2017 · 9:15 AM EST

Democratic lawmakers probably wouldn’t recognize Elisabeth Pearson if she walked into their Capitol Hill office, but they might be owing her their jobs before too long. 

As executive director of the Democratic Governors Association and a leading strategist in the party’s redistricting efforts, Pearson’s success will determine how long members…

Florida House: New Lines Change Outlook in 5 Races

by Nathan L. Gonzales December 4, 2015 · 2:27 PM EST

After years of court battles, the Florida Supreme Court finally decided on a new congressional map that changes the dynamic in a handful of districts. 

The results must be bittersweet for Democrats, who have been crying for “fair districts” for quite sometime and could net as many as three…

House Results: The GOP Bends But Doesn’t Break

by Jessica Taylor November 7, 2012 · 3:15 PM EST

While Republicans are a bit shell-shocked about the presidential and Senate results, House Republicans have reason for smugness. They kept control of their chamber after their sweeping 2010 gains and will likely keep their losses only in the single digits.

Sill, the outcome is something of a letdown…

Nearly 99% of House Incumbents Won Their Primaries

by Nathan L. Gonzales September 11, 2012 · 11:09 PM EDT

Congressional job approval isn’t even near 20 percent but nearly 99 percent of incumbents seeking re-election won their primaries this year.

Despite all the stories about a purported anti-incumbent wave in which voters would throw out sitting members of all shape, size and party, the phenomenon simply hasn’t…

After Arizona Primaries, 9th District Rating Change

by Nathan L. Gonzales August 29, 2012 · 6:14 PM EDT

Tuesday’s primaries in Arizona offered a little bit of everything, including a Member vs. Member race and what GOP strategists are calling “a gift.”

The 9th District is brand new, after the Grand Canyon State was awarded another seat in Congress through reapportionment, and its first general election…

Aurora(s) and the Fight for the House

by Nathan L. Gonzales August 9, 2012 · 9:37 AM EDT

Aurora, Colo., is a household name because of the recent tragic movie theater shootings. But come November, the city and some of the other Auroras around the country will help decide which party controls the House of Representatives next year.

There are actually close to two dozen Auroras…

Fireworks, But No Surprises in Michigan, Missouri and Washington House Primaries

by Jessica Taylor August 8, 2012 · 10:11 AM EDT

Two more House incumbents lost on Tuesday, but it wasn’t a surprise since they faced fellow Members in primaries in Missouri and Michigan, and one of them had to lose.

In Michigan, Rep. Gary Peters prevailed over freshman Rep. Hansen Clarke in the Democratic primary in the 14th…

In Fight for the House, the Trajectory Is Clear

by Stuart Rothenberg July 23, 2012 · 9:30 AM EDT

House races often don’t start getting attention until after Labor Day. But with the presidential contest sucking the air out of the political environment and defining the electoral landscape, House candidates may find they have an even harder time than usual defining themselves and their opponents.

That means…