Turning The Ballot Box Against Republicans

Following a second straight devastating midterm election loss in 2014, Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz pledged to convene a group of prominent party members to figure out why they kept losing ground. “This diverse group of Democratic Party officials, strategists and advocates will each bring with them expertise from their fields to collaborate on a holistic review of the party’s past performance and present actionable areas for improvement moving forward," Wasserman Schultz promised.

That long-awaited document — all 18 pages of it! — hit the Internet on Tuesday and, boy, is it underwhelming. If you are looking for the Democratic version of the "Growth and Opportunity Project," the 100-plus page Republican autopsy report issued after the 2012 election, this ain't it. The Republican autopsy was deeply critical of the GOP and its positioning with voters. The Democratic version is largely a celebration of Democratic principles. Whereas the GOP autopsy suggested that the party totally reconsider its position on immigration reform for example, the thrust of the Democratic one is that the party should do a better job of coordinating its message. Um, no duh.

There is, however, one sentence in the largely-pointless autopsy that is both right on and vitally important. Here it is: "Build a three-election-cycle strategy for redistricting – at the state and federal level."

It's not a sexy recommendation but it is a critical one for a party that has been absolutely decimated downballot during the Obama years. As the autopsy notes:

Quote:

Of the 7,383 members of state legislatures across the country, Democrats hold 3,172 seats. Out of the 99 chambers, we hold 30. We must regain seats across the country to secure those seats and retake the 22 state legislative chambers lost in 2010 as we advance towards 2020.

At the moment, Republicans have total control of 30 of the 50 state legislatures and split control with Democrats in eight others. Why does that matter, you ask? Because congressional maps for each state following the decennial Census — with a notable few exceptions — are drawn by state legislators. That's why the 2010 election was such a disaster for Democrats. They watched their control over state government collapse at exactly the wrong time; newly elected Republican governors and state legislatures drew maps across the country that heavily favored their side, leading directly to the takeover of the House majority in 2014.

The problem for Democrats is twofold going forward:

1. 2014 was another disastrous downballot election for them and the 2015 election simply cemented Republican gains. They have only three more elections to change that trend.

2. Their major donors and top-tier staff talent have generally shown little inclination to fund or work on the low-profile fights for control of state legislatures. Republicans, on the other hand, led by the Republican State Leadership Committee, have poured millions into the effort — and have reaped the rewards.

Nowhere in the DNC autopsy is it mentioned how the party plans to solve those fundamental problems. The party is planning to coordinate its efforts better, target key gubernatorial races and the like. And that's all well and good. But the real key is to make clear to the major Democratic donors that winning over state legislatures must be a major priority of the party between 2016 and 2020. If that message doesn't get through, Democrats might well be looking at a long stay in the congressional minority.

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