National Democratic Redistricting Committee

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National Democratic Redistricting Committee
AbbreviationNDRC
Founded2017; 7 years ago (2017)
HeadquartersWashington, D.C., U.S.
Key people
  • Eric Holder (Chairman)
  • John Bisognano (President)
  • Marina Jenkins (Executive Director)
Websitehttps://democraticredistricting.com

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) is a US political organization that focuses on redistricting and is aligned with the Democratic Party. It was founded in 2017 with the primary goal of stopping partisan gerrymandering and advocating for fair and transparent redistricting processes.[1] The organization coordinates campaign strategy, supports redistricting reform, and files lawsuits against state redistricting maps.[2]

Formation and Founding Members[edit]

Former Attorney General Eric Holder serves as Chairman of the NDRC. John Bisognano serves as President, and Marina Jenkins serves as Executive Director.[3] In 2016, President Barack Obama has said he would be involved with the organization as the main focus of his political activity after his presidency.[2] According to NDRC senior adviser and former US Representative Mark Schauer, the organization intends to attract support from party officials, labor unions, and the America Votes coalition of progressive activists.[4]

The NDRC is the first group within the Democratic Party to formulate a centralized strategy for gaining control of the redistricting process; in contrast, the Republican Party launched REDMAP to elect Republicans to perform redistricting during the 2010 cycle.[5][6] The NDRC is organized as a not-for-profit 527 organization, analogous to a political action committee (PAC) or Super PAC.[4][7] It was founded in 2016 and formally registered with the IRS on August 15.[4] It was officially launched on January 12, 2017.[8]

Activities[edit]

In his speech to the Center for American Progress Action Fund announcing the launch of the NDRC, Holder laid out a three-point “going into the states” strategy for tackling gerrymandering, including investing in down-ballot Democratic candidates, taking legal action to reform existing maps in state and federal courts, and promoting ballot measures for independent redistricting commissions. He described gerrymandering as "the biggest rigged system in America".[8]

In response to the launch of the NDRC, the Republican Party launched the National Republican Redistricting Trust (NRRT) in 2017. The NDRC invested $350,000 in the 2019 Wisconsin Supreme Court election in support of liberal candidates, in hopes that a liberal majority on the state supreme court may strike down gerrymandered maps in 2021.[5]

2020-2022 United States redistricting cycle[edit]

Further information: 2020 United States redistricting cycle

For the 2020 redistricting cycle, the Republican Party controls redistricting for 187 seats in the US House of Representatives, compared to 75 seats controlled by the Democratic Party. Noting the decrease in competitive House seats, NDRC president Burton said that "what Republicans are doing is doubling down on the gerrymandering of the last decade," in reference to gerrymandering by Republicans in Texas, Ohio and North Carolina.[9]

In 2022, The New York Times called the 2022 congressional map the "fairest congressional map in 40 years." Their analysis showed a dramatic decrease in House Republicans' structural advantage from 23 seats in 2012, to 11 seats in 2020, to just 3 seats in 2022.[10]

Involvement in Wisconsin[edit]

Since 2018, National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) Chairman Eric Holder, has invested time and resources each year into Wisconsin Supreme Court races.[11] Over the past decade, Holder has made numerous trips to mobilize voters and brought increased national attention to the campaigns.[12]

In 2023, Holder endorsed Judge Janet Protasiewicz following the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary election.[13] Leading up to the general election, Holder participated in a series of fundraisers for the candidate, joint events with the Wisconsin Democratic Party, and interviews with local news.[14][15]

Lawsuits[edit]

The NDRC leads the Democrats' effort to pursue legal action to get courts to draw additional Black-majority or Black-plurality districts in Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina.[16]

In 2021, Republicans filed a lawsuit against the Oregon congressional map, arguing that it amounted to a "clear, egregious partisan gerrymander" in favor of Democrats.[17] In October, the committee defended the new map of Oregon's congressional districts, which was passed by Oregon Democrats against Republican opposition in September, by arguing that it meets legal standards and was the product of bipartisan negotiation.[18] A five-judge judicial panel found there was no proof that the maps were illegally gerrymandered in favor of Democrats.[19]

Affiliates[edit]

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) has two affiliated organizations; a 501(c)(4), the National Redistricting Action Fund (NRAF), and a 501(c)(3), the National Redistricting Foundation (NRF).

References[edit]

  1. ^ name=":0">Dovere, Edward-Isaac (October 17, 2016). "Obama, Holder to Lead Post-Trump Redistricting Campaign". Politico. Archived from the original on November 2, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Dovere, Edward-Isaac (October 17, 2016). "Obama, Holder to Lead Post-Trump Redistricting Campaign". Politico. Archived from the original on November 2, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  3. ^ "Who We Are". National Democratic Redistricting Committee. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Juliet, Ellperin (October 17, 2016). "Obama's post-presidency political focus: Redistricting". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Berman, Ari (July 2019). "The Courts Won't End Gerrymandering. Eric Holder Has a Plan to Fix It Without Them". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  6. ^ McKelway, Doug (October 24, 2016). "Republicans Banking on Carefully Built House Firewall". FOX News. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  7. ^ "Section 527 Political Action Committee/Political Organization Filing and Disclosure (527 PAC/POFD) – Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA)" (PDF). IRS.gov. March 23, 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Schneider, Elena (January 12, 2017). "Holder launches Democratic redistricting initiative". Politico. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  9. ^ Navarro, Aaron (November 24, 2021). "Democrats add one more House seat in Illinois from redistricting, playing catch up with GOP". CBS News. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  10. ^ Cohn, Nate (September 30, 2022). "Gerrymandering Isn't Giving Republicans the Advantage You Might Expect". New York Times.
  11. ^ Rodenush, Patrick. "Holder to Attend Events in Madison and Milwaukee on Thursday and Friday Ahead of State Supreme Court Election". WisPolitics. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  12. ^ Opoien, Jessie (March 4, 2019). "Eric Holder to campaign for Lisa Neubauer in Wisconsin Supreme Court race". No. Politics. The Cap Times. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  13. ^ Doyle, Jena. "Eric Holder Endorses Judge Janet Protasiewicz for Wisconsin Supreme Court". democraticredistricting.com. NDRC. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  14. ^ Nakamoto-White, Ellie (April 1, 2023). "'A referendum on abortion': Milwaukee expert, former attorney general weigh in ahead of Election Day". CBS 58 News. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  15. ^ Panetta, Grace (April 3, 2023). "Wisconsin Democrats embark on the final sprint of an 'existential' fight for Supreme Court". 19th News. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  16. ^ Wasserman, David (September 20, 2021). "Is It Time to Rethink Hyper-Minority Districts?". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  17. ^ VanderHart, Dick (October 11, 2021). "Former Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno files suit to challenge Dems' congressional redistricting map". OPB. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  18. ^ "National Democratic group steps in to defend Oregon's new congressional map". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  19. ^ VanderHart, Dick (November 24, 2021). "Judicial panel upholds Oregon Democrats' new US congressional districts". OPB. Retrieved April 26, 2024.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]


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