Obama To Take On Redistricting In Post-Presidency Project With Eric Holder

Obama To Take On Redistricting In Post-Presidency Project With Eric Holder

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obama-holder-gerrymandering-project

TPM LIVEWIRE OCTOBER 17, 2016, 12:04 PM EDT

After he leaves the White House, President Obama will make a major priority of his post-presidency political activity working with a campaign being spearheaded by former Attorney General Eric Holder that will focus on redistricting reform, a major elections issue that has allowed Republicans to trounce Democrats in state houses and in the U.S. House of Representatives.

According to a Politico report Monday, Holder will serve as chair of a new umbrella group called the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which will bring together national and state-level Democratic political groups, as well as unions and progressive organizations. The group will mobilize around elections in the years to come that will determine who gets to draw the districting maps after the 2020 census which will be in place for the following decade of elections. The White House has worked closely on launching the campaign, and the President strongly backed the choice of Holder as its chair, Politico said.

“American voters deserve fair maps that represent our diverse communities—and we need a coordinated strategy to make that happen,” Holder said, according to Politico. “This unprecedented new effort will ensure Democrats have a seat at the table to create fairer maps after 2020."

Obama's involvement will be most focused at the state-legislative level, White House political director David Simas told Politico.

The Tea Party wave of elections in 2010 gave Republicans outsized influence over redistricting after the last census, which tilted the electoral map significantly in their favor. . . .

Gerrymandering is also commonly blamed for the dysfunction in the national legislature, as Republican representatives are often more worried about a primary challenge to their right rather than a Democrat running against them for their seat. . . .