Internal memo reveals GOP panic as its greatest weapon backfires

While the Republican Party has made redistricting a key part of its political strategy — particularly after President Donald Trump demanded the gerrymandering of Texas last August — a new internal memo reveals that the GOP is worried that it will lose the upcoming round of redistricting battles in 2028, warning that the resulting map could deliver a "permanent Democratic House majority." This is according to the conservative outlet the Washington Examiner, which on Wednesday reported on a memo entitled "Battle Beneath the Ballot," in which the Republican State Leadership Committee argued that the party's failure to invest in down-ballot state legislative elections could mean the decision to launch a redistricting war was a huge mistake.

As the Examiner explains, the memo revealed that "Democrats' four largest groups involved in state legislative elections will outspend the RSLC's commitment of more than $50 million by almost three-to-one. Republicans have a huge fundraising lead nationally, with the likes of MAGA Inc., the Trump-aligned super PAC, holding a $400 million war chest. But all the signs are that it will be spent on congressional and gubernatorial races, rather than less glamorous down-ballot fights." The Democrats, meanwhile, have a robust state-level plan. According to the Examiner, "This year four major Democratic organizations have publicly announced significant spending plans: the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee at $50 million, Forward Majority at $30 million, LCV Victory Fund at more than $50 million, and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee at $4 million. In all, they are committed to spending more than $134 million."