Back in the bad old days of the Cold War, there were many proponents of MAD, mutually assured destruction. The idea was that if we or the Soviet Union knew that launching a nuclear attack would result in the destruction of both nations, neither would do so. We are currently seeing a similar approach being taken by red states and blue states in regard to redistricting.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has said that he would work with his state’s legislature to do away with California’s independent redistricting commission. The move is being proposed in response to actions being taken by the Texas legislature at the behest of Governor Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump. They are trying to redistrict Texas in the middle of the decade in the hopes of keeping Republican control of the House of Representatives in next year’s mid-term elections. The move is currently on hold as Democrats in the Texas state legislature fled the state to deny a quorum. They are being harbored and holding press conferences with other Democratic governors who have also promised retaliation in regard to redistricting if Texas moves forward with their plans.
There is a certain amount of irony when Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, calls out the proposed Texas gerrymander. Illinois’ own gerrymandering efforts in 2021 disenfranchised millions of Republican voters. It’s important to note that 44% of Illinois voters voted for President Trump in 2024.
There is, of course, a difference between the upmanship currently playing out in regard to redistricting across the nation and the mutually assured destruction of the Cold War. Our democracy will not die in a sudden flash of radiation; it will wither on the vine as trust in our systems and our leaders continues to decay. Democracy does not die a quick death, it dies a slow, painful one.
Texas is not the only target for Trump and his plan to maintain control by any means necessary. Vice President JD Vance met with Indiana Governor Mike Braun and Republican leaders in the Indiana state legislature to “discuss ways to strengthen the GOP’s House majority ahead of the 2026 midterms.” The visit by the vice president to Indiana and the pressure being placed on Texas makes clear the administration’s position: gerrymandering should be used to maintain power. It is yet another anti-democratic stance taken by the current regime.
Gerrymandering undermines our democracy, whether it is done by Democrats or Republicans. Unfortunately, the flood gates appear to be open, if they weren’t already, aided by the 2019 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court Rucho v. Common Cause, which removed federal courts’ ability to check political gerrymandering. We are seeing the results of that decision play out in real time now and the consequences for our republic seem dire. Words from Justice Elena Kagan’s dissent now seem prophetic when she said, “The practices challenged in these cases (partisan gerrymandering) imperil our system of government.”
If the Supreme Court is unable or unwilling to defend the very foundations of our government, then what purpose do they serve? The current gerrymandering cold war playing out across the nation poses nothing less than an existential threat to our democracy. The Trump administration and Republicans in places like Texas and Indiana are wrong to use mid-decade redistricting because they are afraid to lose power in the mid-terms. Democratic governors and legislators in California, Illinois, and New York are wrong to “fight fire with fire” as Governor Newsom put it.
Rare these days are the lawmakers or leaders on either side who are willing to call out the actions of their own party. That’s why it was refreshing to hear Republican Representative Mike Lawler of New York say that he thought what Texas Republicans were doing was “wrong.” We need more leaders like Lawler to speak out against the gerrymandering efforts of their own party. Competitive districts, where candidates have to win in the marketplace of ideas, benefit all of us. Gerrymandering insulates lawmakers from the consequences of their positions and actions, no matter how unpopular. If we want a more responsive government, every state should act now to remove gerrymandering from their redistricting process. Otherwise, it appears that mutually assured destruction is inevitable.