Democratic legislative leaders from around the country are already fundraising and strategizing for the once-per-decade political redistricting that's coming in 2020, when the party will look to boost the number of legislative seats it can compete for after a rough round of redistricting in 2010.
That redrawing of state legislative and congressional district lines came shortly after Republicans nationwide made big election gains on the 2010 ballot, and in many states that gave them more control over the redistricting process.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee used this past week's National Conference of State Legislatures conference in Minneapolis to launch its "Advantage 2020" initiative. The group maintained that Republican advantages in 2010 redistricting have made it tough for Democrats to undo the Republican majority in the U.S. House, or to recapture legislative majorities in some states.
Hoping to regain leverage after 2020, the committee is aiming to raise $70 million in the next four election cycles. That will be spent in 33 targeted states to build political infrastructure and boost grass roots organizing, with a particular aim at regaining ground in a handful of states: Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Florida and Georgia. Resources will also go to protecting Democratic legislative majorities in Minnesota, Colorado and Nevada.
Patrick Condon
