Eric Holder Strategizes Against Gerrymandering With House Democrats

Former Attorney General Eric Holder spoke with House Democrats on Wednesday about strategies to combat what’s quickly becoming a national redistricting battle. 

According to CBS News, Eric Holder appeared along with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a virtual call hosted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. A source told CBS News that Holder provided “a high-level overview to the House Democratic Caucus on the latest in the fight against Donald Trump’s gerrymandering scheme in Texas and across the country,” during the call.

Eric Holder is the chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) and has been a staunch opponent of gerrymandering for years. My interest in gerrymandering actually stems from seeing Holder speak at my church about the issue several years ago. Up until that point, I didn’t realize how something as dull as drawing a map could have such a pronounced effect on democracy. 

The redistricting battle began last month when President Trump asked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to trigger a rare, mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms. Democrats only need a net gain of three seats to flip control of the House of Representatives next year. Gov. Abbott used the devastating floods that hit the state over the Fourth of July weekend to call a special legislative session. Instead of debating legislation that would provide flood relief, Texas Republicans began drafting new electoral maps. 

Texas’ redistricting effort resulted in a new map that adds five House seats in districts Trump won by double digits in 2024. Texas Democrats left the state two weeks ago to break quorum and prevent the map from going through. The special session ended without a vote on the map, with the Texas Democrats returning to the state this weekend. Gov. Abbott has already stated his intent to immediately start another special session to pass the new map through.

Holder’s call with House Democrats came only a day before California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the Election Rigging Response Act. California will hold a special election on Nov. 4, where voters will decide whether or not maps designed to counter Texas’s redistricting effort will go into effect. Should voters approve California’s redistricting effort, the state legislature will control California’s electoral maps in 2026, 2028, and 2030, at which point control will revert to the state’s independent commission. 

Texas’ redistricting effort has triggered a nationwide redistricting battle in both Blue and Red states. The New York state legislature introduced a bill allowing it to trigger a mid-decade redistricting if another state did so first. Ohio is currently redrawing its electoral maps, and officials in Florida and Missouri have publicly stated they intend to join the redistricting fray. It’s no exaggeration to say a battle for American democracy is currently underway. 

Eric Holder issued a statement last month in support of Democratic efforts to combat the Texas redistricting effort. “In this moment, steps must be taken to respond to the authoritarian measures being considered in certain states and now so brazenly taken in Texas,” Holder said in a statement. “We must preserve our democracy now in order to ultimately heal it.”

SEE ALSO:

Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom Counters Texas Redistricting Effort

Texas Democrats Will Return To State After Special Session Ends