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Democrats Pledge a Gerrymander War
Jonathan Turley ^ | August 5, 2025 | Jonathan Turley

Posted on 08/05/2025 6:32:52 PM PDT by george76

Democrats are struggling to convince the public that they are outraged that there is gerrymandering afoot in Texas. It is no easy task, particularly after Texas Democrats selected Illinois as their sanctuary state, a state considered the most gerrymandered in the country. Trump received 45 percent of the vote in the state, but Republicans have only 14 percent of the congressional seats. Even the New York Times admitted that gerrymandering has favored Democrats across the nation. However, the winner of the Claude Rains award must be Marc Elias, who has expressed disgust over the notion of gerrymandering despite the fact that his group was denounced by courts for outrageous gerrymandering efforts.

The origin of the term was based on re-districting associated with Elbridge Gerry, a Founding Father, vice president, and governor of Massachusetts. He signed off on a district designed to guarantee a seat for the precursor of today’s Democratic Party. The district resembled a salamander, so the Boston Gazette deemed it the “Gerry-mander.”

That effort pales in comparison to what was done in Illinois to deny Republicans a fair share of congressional seats. This is the Illinois map:

The 13th congressional district stretches from East St. Louis to Springfield, 90 miles away. It then takes a sharp turn east to grab Decatur and Champaign. This monstrosity was approved by Democrats who are now insisting that they will respond to Texas with a gerrymander war, as if they were political pacifists until a few days ago.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker portrayed his party as the victim of conniving pols and pledged to respond in kind. Yet, it was Pritzker who approved the redistricting that guaranteed that, while Republicans represent almost half of the voters, they will receive less than twenty percent of the congressional seats.

The same is true in California, where Governor Gavin Newsom is also pledging to retaliate despite previously engaging in rampant gerrymandering. Republicans constituted roughly 40 percent of the congressional vote in 2024 but received only about 17 percent of the House seats. Across the country in 17 blue states, the Dems won 56.7 percent of the popular House vote but secured 143 of the 185 House seats — 77.7 percent.

New York has achieved that same expanded democratic representation despite the fact that Trump received 45 percent of the vote. Republicans are confined to a small handful of districts.

I have long opposed gerrymandering by both parties. However, the claims of disgust and outrage by Democrats border on the comical.

That brings us to Marc Elias, who is again trying to raise clients and donations off the outrage.

Elias has not only been sanctioned in past litigation, but past courts have also criticized his group. In Maryland, Elias filed in support of an abusive gerrymandering of the election districts that a court found violated not only Maryland law but the state constitution’s equal protection, free speech and free elections clauses. The court found that the map pushed by Elias “subverts the will of those governed.”

Elias is currently looking at a likely demand for testimony in the new grand jury investigation into the Russian conspiracy. He featured prominently in the filings of Special Counsel John Durham. It was Elias who made the key funding available to Fusion GPS, which in turn enlisted Steele to produce his now discredited dossier on Trump and his campaign.

During the campaign, reporters did ask about the possible connection to the campaign, but Clinton campaign officials denied any involvement. Weeks after the election, journalists discovered that the Clinton campaign hid payments for the Steele dossier as “legal fees” among the $5.6 million paid to Perkins Coie.

New York Times reporter Ken Vogel said at the time that Elias denied involvement in the anti-Trump dossier. When Vogel tried to report the story, he said, Elias “pushed back vigorously, saying ‘You (or your sources) are wrong.’” Times reporter Maggie Haberman declared, “Folks involved in funding this lied about it, and with sanctimony, for a year.”

It was not just reporters who asked the Clinton campaign about its role in the Steele dossier. John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman, was questioned by Congress and categorically denied any contractual agreement with Fusion GPS. Sitting beside him was Elias, who reportedly said nothing to correct the misleading information given to Congress.

With the likes of Marc Elias leading the cause against gerrymandering, the Democrats have reached a level of hypocrisy that knows no equal.

For the public, this growing war should support a movement to put an end to gerrymandering by all parties. Politicians will then have to look to voters, not maps to maintain their power.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Illinois; US: Massachusetts; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: congress; congressionalseats; democrats; elias; gerrymande; gerrymandering; illinois; marcelias; republicans; texas

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1 posted on 08/05/2025 6:32:52 PM PDT by george76
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To: george76
"Democrats Pledge a Gerrymander War"

Translation: Democrats pledge to keep doing what they've been doing since before I was born.

2 posted on 08/05/2025 6:34:26 PM PDT by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: george76

Hard to fight a war when in the states that they control they have already shot all their bullets vis-a-vis Gerrymandering. The GOP Iis now playing catch up and they sure do have a lot to catch up with,

On to Florida.


3 posted on 08/05/2025 6:40:14 PM PDT by FlipWilson
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To: Tell It Right

I want 100% driverless cars. Go anywhere without worry. Insurance(none) and maintenance fitted into the cost of an uber ride. Half of the parked cars will be unnecessary.


4 posted on 08/05/2025 6:42:04 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: george76

What’s a Claude Rains award? Is this the same guy the stared along side Bogart in Casablanca?


5 posted on 08/05/2025 6:44:01 PM PDT by redfreedom (Happiness is shopping at Walmart and not hearing Spanish once!)
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To: george76
Democrats have already done all the gerrymandering to extreme levels.
For example, Massachusetts has 9 US congressmen, ALL Democrats and zero Republicans, yet Trump won 40% of the votes in Massachusetts.
With zero Republicans, they can't gerrymander to get any more seats.
6 posted on 08/05/2025 6:46:57 PM PDT by SmokingJoe
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To: redfreedom

Claude Raines was the dude who was shocked that gambling was going on at the casino and then promptly collected his winnings.


7 posted on 08/05/2025 6:47:40 PM PDT by FlipWilson
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To: george76

.


8 posted on 08/05/2025 6:49:07 PM PDT by sauropod (Make sure Satan has to climb over a lot of Scripture to get to you. John MacArthur Ne supra crepidam)
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To: george76

There used to be a tv aid for engine oil. “You can pay us now or you can pay us later” meaning acting cheap to avoid paying for good oil would ruin your car’s engine and cost a lot in work later on.

The GOP was wimpy, weak, compromising, gentlemanly and kind as they allowed wholesale bullying in the Dems’ gerrymandering for decades.

NOW they have to fight hard and the news media call them enemies of “democracy” (I HATE that word. SPIT. It means Communist mob takeover. SPIT).


9 posted on 08/05/2025 6:52:24 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: george76

Dems are too incompetent. All bark and fundraising. Nothing else


10 posted on 08/05/2025 6:58:39 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3 ( I'm Proud To Be An Okie From Muskogee)
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To: george76

Blue states like CA, NY, IL are so drastically gerrymandered ALREADY, if they try to GM it more, it could end up helping GOP 😂😂


11 posted on 08/05/2025 7:01:43 PM PDT by Bobbyvotes (TERM LIMITS is the ONLY WAY to get rid of corrupt career politicians. )
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To: george76

Here are the numbers. The Dems were fair in gerrymandering , and the Repubs were not. The facts are if you look at the states controlled by Dems, only Michigan is fair and split down the middle. Massachusetts? 9 House Reps for the Dems, 0 for Republicans. Trump got 36 % of the vote. NY? Trump got 43.3 % of the vote, and have 27 % of the House Reps. CA? Trump got 38.3% of the vote, but only 26.4 of House Members. And Illinois, where most of the Dems fled to from Texas? Trump got 43.9 % of the vote, but Republicans only 17.6 % of member for the House of Representatives. It looks like the Dems have perfected gerrymandering in MA, and want more from the rest of the states they manage.


12 posted on 08/05/2025 7:08:38 PM PDT by mfish13 (Elections have Consequences.)
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To: george76

Notice several Dems today said the script written for them including “war” (5 Dems), “we’re taking off the gloves now” (Hochul) and “we’re going to fight” plus that execrable monster and only alleged human Rep. Al Green said “We are going to take him down. ((Trump)) Take him down.” Then remembered to add what his lawyer told him “I mean that politically.” All staged. With the same can with the metal head he used to physically threaten from the seating in Congress.”


13 posted on 08/05/2025 7:08:45 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: frank ballenger

typo the same cane....


14 posted on 08/05/2025 7:09:29 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: george76

All too obvious that our political system is inherently corrupt.


15 posted on 08/05/2025 7:10:37 PM PDT by Democrat = party of treason
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To: george76

Well, it ain’t like they’ve never done it.


16 posted on 08/05/2025 7:11:43 PM PDT by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this💩? 🚫💉! 🇮🇱👍!)
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To: george76

Like they haven’t gerrymandered to their maximum ability.


17 posted on 08/05/2025 7:14:30 PM PDT by TheThirdRuffian (Orange is the new brown)
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To: george76

The lack of self awareness among democrats is staggering! They have been gerrymandering for decades, but I guess it’s (D)ifferent when they do it.


18 posted on 08/05/2025 7:20:39 PM PDT by Flaming Conservative ((Pray without ceasing))
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To: Bobbyvotes

California.....40% Republican voters, but just 17% of the House seats are Republican.


19 posted on 08/05/2025 7:24:09 PM PDT by july4thfreedomfoundation (Russia? China? Democrats and RINOs are the biggest threat to the survival of America.)
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To: mfish13

It would be difficult to carve out a Republican congressional district in Massachusetts. The only purple area in the state is the southeastern part, adjacent to Rhode Island. Western Massachusetts, though rural, is ultra liberal, basically south Vermont. However, I hope Florida, Ohio, and Missouri follow Texas’s lead.


20 posted on 08/05/2025 7:31:13 PM PDT by Wallace T. ( )
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