After the Virginia Supreme Court blocked the Democratic redistricting plan, which would have netted Democrats four more House seats, Donald Trump celebrated. He called the ruling a “huge win” over a “horrible gerrymander.” But Trump himself has ordered many GOP states to gerrymander maximally. So here Trump openly declared that Republicans reserve the right to rig elections while Democrats do not. His actual position is that Republicans should play by their own corrupt rules, a declaration of intent to functionally steal the midterms. Not coincidentally, this comes as a new Marist poll shows Democrats leading the generic House matchup by 10 points. Though polling averages have it at five points, Marist is a leading indicator that hints at a blue wave. We talked to Ari Berman of Mother Jones, the great voting rights reporter. We discuss the Virginia ruling, why democracy can’t function when one party serially cheats, why Democrats must respond, and what their long-term strategy should look like. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.
