Former President Barack Obama is set to headline a fundraiser for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, as the party concocts a path to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
NDRC Chairman Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under Obama, is hosting the Aug. 31 event organized by the committee and affiliates, according to an invitation shared by Punchbowl News.
The fundraiser comes as redistricting has become one of the central political battles for Democrats looking to gain an edge in the 2028 presidential cycle.
Since leaving office, Obama has joined several Democratic states in promoting redrawing congressional maps to shrink the number of GOP-held seats. The former president founded the NDRC in 2016 alongside Holder to build a centralized Democratic strategy for the redistricting process.
Obama’s involvement has grown more visible in recent history. Earlier this year, he joined Democrats in Virginia to promote redrawing the congressional districts. The Virginia Supreme Court ultimately ruled that lawmakers failed to follow the constitutional process required to place the measure on the ballot, striking down the new map.
After the court loss in Virginia, which also cost the state and outside groups millions, the party is looking to 2028 to shift maps.
The event in August is likely to address how Democrats may need to shift to a more aggressive approach on the redistricting front, as Republican-led redistricting efforts have strengthened GOP advantages in several states.
After the Supreme Court’s rollback of the Voting Rights Act, which makes it significantly harder for voters to challenge maps they argue dilute minority representation, Democratic governors rallied behind redistricting.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S PROGRESSIVE INSURGENTS ARE TURNING ON OBAMA
On the table is Maryland, led by Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD), who has made mid-decade redistricting a keystone to his reelection campaign. Moore has said the high court’s decision raises warning signs for the state, vowing it will “not be caught flat-footed.” Maryland Democrats, who have supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature, want to eliminate the lone House Republican in the state and create a map that favors Democrats in all eight seats.
In New York, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has backed a proposal aiming to amend the state constitution to allow lawmakers to redraw congressional districts before the next scheduled redistricting cycle and loosen some of the restrictions governing the process.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
