G.O.P. Cements Hold on Legislatures in Battleground States
The New York Times
Democrats were once able to count on wave elections to win back key statehouses. Republican gerrymandering is making that all but impossible.
Republicans are locking in newly gerrymandered maps for the legislatures in four battleground states that are set to secure the party’s control in the statehouse chambers over the next decade, fortifying the G.O.P. against even the most sweeping potential Democratic wave elections.
In Texas, North Carolina, Ohio and Georgia, Republican state lawmakers have either created supermajorities capable of overriding a governor’s veto or whittled down competitive districts so significantly that Republicans’ advantage is virtually impenetrable — leaving voters in narrowly divided states powerless to change the leadership of their legislatures.
Although much of the attention on this year’s redistricting process has focused on gerrymandered congressional maps, the new maps being drafted in state legislatures have been just as distorted.
The disgraced New York politician is considering a run for City Council. But even in an era of political comebacks, this might be pushing it.
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Now that New York City and surrounding counties are under a drought warning, officials are asking residents to save water and help prevent more wildfires.
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