Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s looming retirement and all but certain replacement with partisan Republican extremist Brett Kavanaugh will likely soon see the court deal a monumental blow to the fight against widespread GOP gerrymandering, but there’s one critical way progressives can fight to protect democracy: electing Democratic governors. Legislatures around the country are themselves heavily gerrymandered, making it hard for Democrats to reclaim important majorities. But many governors have the power of the veto pen or can make key appointments to commissions or courts that impact redistricting and can thereby curtail Republican excesses.
The map shown at the top of this post (click here for a larger version) looks at every state where the outcome of upcoming gubernatorial elections could make a real difference in the redistricting landscape over the next decade. The races will help determine whether Democrats have the power to force fairer maps or whether the GOP will continue to enjoy a massively distorted advantage for years to come. Because Republicans drew five times as many congressional districts following the 2010 census, they were able to win the House in 2012 despite losing the nationwide popular vote, and this lopsided redistricting power would continue if Democrats don’t make gains by 2020.
The good news for Democrats is that Republicans are defending far more turf in important states. What’s more, almost all of these states are holding their key gubernatorial elections in 2018, and Donald Trump's unpopularity could see Democrats make major gains in the November midterms.