Democrats have turned to former President Obama to lead the redistricting fight in states like New York, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and Louisiana.
Former President Barack Obama hosted a fundraiser for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee on Thursday. The event in Martha’s Vineyard raised $1.5 million, the committee told POLITICO, ahead of a crucial stretch of redistricting fights that will play out in the closing months of this year.
“The only danger is that we get complacent,” Obama said at the fundraiser for the premiere Democratic group working on redistricting battles, according to a readout obtained by POLITICO. “Because one thing we’ve learned is that the other side doesn’t quit.”
The National Democratic Redistricting Committee is run by former Obama AG Eric Holder, and the ex-president has been a vocal supporter and fundraiser for the organization.
At first blush, red states like Georgia, Louisana, and Alabama don’t look encouraging for Democrats, but each of those states gerrymandered Democratic majority-minority districts out of existence. Alabama has been ordered to restore the district, and Louisana and Georgia are also expected to lose in court.
Democrats need five seats to take back the House and could get three-fifths of the way there just by winning redistricting fights for a single district each in three red states.
If New York Democrats get it together after the 2022 redistricting chaos that cost the party the House majority, Democrats may be able to flip the House before a single vote is cast in 2024.
Democrats are focused on making it happen, and they’ve got Eric Holder and Barack Obama leading the charge.