The Democratic caucus, led by former Attorney General Eric Holder, wants to play the long game of redistributing money and political firepower into statewide races this year in hopes of influencing future redistricting cycles.
The National Democratic Reelection Committee plans to invest more than $1 million in 11 states as Holder hits the campaign trail for state legislative and Supreme Court candidates. The goal is to begin loosening the GOP’s grip on the redistricting process that typically occurs at the start of each decade in key states.
“What I wouldn’t give to be able to set the table for the four years before 2017,” NDRC President John Bisognano told NBC News, referring to the years leading up to the critical elections that will shape the 2020 redistricting cycle. “Now we have this time and this gift to be able to focus on specific elections, specific states, that will viscerally make a difference for the redistricting cycle.”
The group will target seats in both houses of state legislatures in Arizona, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin; state houses in Georgia, Michigan, and Minnesota; and the Supreme Courts of Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas. NDRC also plans to participate in the gubernatorial race in New Hampshire and the redistricting initiative in Ohio.
Holder is expected to headline events in Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin and also raise money for individual candidates.
The group is looking to Wisconsin in particular as a model for how it can influence other states.
“In 2018, Wisconsin enacted Governor Scott Walker’s extreme agenda with an all-Republican rubber-stamp Supreme Court. It took a long time to bring this state back to normal, and frankly, we’re now at the point where we feel comfortable talking about democracy,” Bisognano said.
In recent years, the group has teamed up with allies to target state Supreme Court races and support Democrat Tony Evers for governor. Last year, liberals took control of the state Supreme Court and later forced the state to redraw its legislative maps.
“The results of the elections in the coming months will have far-reaching consequences for years to come and will determine whether or not the country is moving towards the will of the people, freedom and justice, or whether it is a victim of arrogance and partisan autocracy. No incoming cavalry. It is up to all of us – the voters – to raise our voices and reject this anti-democratic agenda at the ballot box,” Holder said. “That’s why the NDRC will devote a significant amount of its time and resources to ensuring voters know what’s at stake in these contests, who the candidates really are, and helping them vote.”