There's No Way to Compensate for the Loss of Black Voting Power

"Thanks to the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais, Republicans are aggressively moving to gerrymander away the Congressional Black Caucus and eliminate Black voting power in red states."

"Democracy Docket has put forth a plan for how states controlled by Democrats might re-gerrymander their maps ahead of the 2028 election to offset the Republican gains this cycle. This plan offers a way for Democrats to pick up 17 to 27 seats in 2028 while Republicans gain only four to five. The operating theory is that Republicans are currently in the process of getting all the juice they can out of the states they control, while Democrats have barely begun to squeeze."

"The plan is doable, and necessary. But I don't want people to miss what is still being lost even if Democrats can pull off these gerrymanders. The loss of Black representation in the South cannot be offset with a few more liberal white representatives from Wisconsin. The inability of Black people in Memphis to elect a fighter like Justin Pearson is not mitigated by spitting out another corporate Democrat from Hoboken."

"The great Black Congressman William Lacy Clay once said, "Black people have no permanent friends, and no permanent enemies, only permanent interests." Those interests cannot be adequat"

Republicans are moving aggressively to redraw congressional districts to weaken the Congressional Black Caucus and eliminate Black voting power in red states. A Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais is cited as enabling this push. A plan proposes that Democratic-controlled states re-gerrymander ahead of 2028 to offset Republican gains, potentially adding 17 to 27 seats while Republicans gain only four to five. States named as opportunities include Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Virginia, and Wisconsin, contingent on voters abandoning independent redistricting commissions, amending state constitutions, and fighting for new maps. Even if Democrats succeed, losses of Black representation in the South cannot be compensated by additional liberal white representatives elsewhere, and Black voters’ inability to elect strong candidates remains a core harm.

Read at The Nation