NO GAINS

Redistricting May Not Help GOP

Already won so many seats, biggest population growths in Democratic areas.

Redistricting may be one of liberals’ biggest fears, but will it really be that bad for them? Maybe not, it turns out: Republicans made so many national and statehouse gains in 2010 that 2012 redistricting—as a result of the 2010 census—may not help them get very many more seats, as many Democrats have feared. “The overwhelming success of Republicans in 2010 actually poses a problem for them,” said Michael McDonald, a redistricting expert at the liberal thinktank Brookings Institute. As a result, the Republican party is focused on keeping the 87 House seats they gained in ’10 and making sure they can hold onto their majority. Making matters even harder for Republicans, the biggest population increases were among Hispanics—who tend to favor Democrats—and in districts that were already heavily Democratic.