Democrats are pointing fingers at President Trump and Republicans over gerrymandering, but the evidence shows they started this cycle of partisan map-drawing. In states like New York, California, and Illinois, Democratic leaders are pushing aggressive redistricting efforts to protect their incumbents—even as their own policies drive voters out of those states.
New York’s 2022 mid-census redistricting attempt was a clear example. As Representative Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) noted on X, “New York started it.” Democrats ignored the independent commission they created in 2014 and proposed a map that would have wiped out several Republican-held seats. The state’s highest court blocked that effort, but Democrats tried again, targeting the Staten Island–Southwest Brooklyn seat held by Representative Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.). The Supreme Court ultimately intervened, preserving her district.
The irony is thick: Democrats had argued that Malliotakis’s district wasn’t racially inclusive enough—despite her Greek and Hispanic heritage. This is the same party that claims to champion democracy while dismantling voter-approved independent commissions.
California, which lost one House seat after the 2020 census, has also engaged in partisan redistricting, even though voters in 2010 approved an independent commission to draw districts. The state’s population decline—driven by high taxes and regulations—means it will likely lose more seats in 2030. If undocumented residents were excluded from census counts, California’s losses would be even steeper. The White House has sought to exclude non-citizens from apportionment, recognizing that people who cannot vote should not inflate a state’s representation.
Illinois and New Jersey are following the same playbook. Democratic governors and legislatures in these states are using gerrymandering to offset the political consequences of unpopular policies. As population shifts continue, these states will lose Electoral College votes and House seats. Rather than adjust their tax-and-spend agendas, Democrats are doubling down on map manipulation.
This strategy contradicts years of Democratic rhetoric. MSNBC host Joy Reid recently claimed on air that “Democrats do not play politics the way Republicans do. They play by the Marquess de Queensberry rules.” That claim is laughable. Democrats have threatened to pack the Supreme Court, eliminate the filibuster, add Puerto Rico as a state, and abolish the Electoral College—all to cement their power. Now they are redrawing maps to preserve their numbers, even as voters flee their states.
Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has acknowledged the party’s internal divisions over strategy, as some want to focus on anti-Trump anger while others push for a clear policy vision. But on gerrymandering, the party is united: they will do whatever it takes to avoid accountability for their failed governance.
Voters who dislike gerrymandering should recognize that Democrats are not friends of fair representation. They are willing to subvert democratic processes to maintain power. If they continue down this path, they will face even steeper losses in the next decade.
