Former Democratic Representative from Georgia Stacey Abrams admitted that not only is the Republican redistricting push in the South projected to hand Republicans an additional 19 to 20 seats in Congress, but it could also result in Republicans gaining as many as 191 additional state legislative seats.
The local dimension of redistricting has not typically been highlighted in recent weeks, yet it is one that would likely carry a range of significant benefits and greater control for Republicans in those states.
🚨 HOLY CRAP. Democrat Stacey Abrams just admitted Democrats might lose *191* STATE LEGISLATIVE SEATS — on top of the 19-20 seats lost to the end of racial gerrymandering
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 18, 2026
It's not just Congress. State legislative districts are racially drawn, and SCOTUS just caused APOCALYPSE… pic.twitter.com/L9yMI59OIL
"With these new maps, we know that analysis by Fair Fight and Black Voters Matter show that we could lose 19 to 20 congressional seats," the former Democratic representative said. "But we could lose up to 191 state legislative seats. And in the South, those state legislators draw city council districts, county commission districts, school board districts, and they draw state legislative lines."
"And so if you want to know if your child is going to have fair and equitable access to education, that will be diminished if your families can't participate in elections and elect leaders who value your education. If you want health care in the South, it's the state legislature that decides whether you have access. All of the things that disproportionately harm communities of color will now be decided by people who disproportionately dislike and vote against the needs of people of color."
She went on to troud ought the familiar Democrat line, that the redistricting push will disproportiantely effect minority voters, an issue she said warrants "national intervention."
"If we allow the suppression of black and brown votes, we are harming their neighbors, and we're harming the U.S., and that's why we cannot allow the South to be left behind," Abrams said. "We need national intervention because this is a national attempt to misuse democratic institutions to suppress all of the communities who fight for democracy in this country."
This comes just weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that racially gerrymandering Congressional districts was not, in fact, protected by the Voting Rights Act, a move that Democrats opposed, even though the ruling meant people can no longer use race to determine districts. This has led to a broad push among Southern states to begin their own partisan redistricting, handing Republicans a better chance at securing Congress following the 2026 midterm elections.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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