WASHINGTON — Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., mentioned Sunday that he believes mid-decade redistricting is a “mistake” by each events that would finally result in extra political violence.
“I feel that it’s going to result in extra civil pressure and presumably extra violence in our nation,” he mentioned on NBC Information’ “Meet the Press,” casting blame on each events for redrawing maps to spice up their prospects in subsequent yr’s midterm elections.
Paul pointed to how members of the minority get together may really feel if politicians redraw districts to extend the bulk get together’s energy.
“Like in my state, we’re a really Republican state, however now we have one Democrat space in Louisville and now we have a Democrat congressman. We may carve up Louisville and eliminate that one congressman,” he mentioned. “However how does that make Democrats really feel? I feel it makes them really feel like they’re not represented.”
Requested once more to make clear if he believed redistricting pushes may result in political violence, Paul instructed “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, “I feel there’s the potential that when folks haven’t any illustration, that they really feel disenfranchised, that it will probably lead and would possibly result in violence in our nation.”
His feedback come after the Indiana state Senate rejected a redrawn congressional map aimed toward benefiting Republicans in subsequent yr’s elections. Texas’ push to redraw maps to attempt to flip 5 seats purple launched a nationwide tit-for-tat redistricting battle in states throughout the nation.
In current weeks, President Donald Trump turned his consideration to Indiana, urging state lawmakers to cross maps to favor the GOP, or else he would again major challenges. After he known as out state lawmakers in posts to Fact Social, at the very least 11 Indiana Republicans confronted threats or swatting.
An NBC Information evaluation discovered that at the very least 22 officers from each events have confronted threats in current weeks after Trump publicly criticized his political opponents.
Paul argued that each events had been guilty for redistricting, pointing to California for example of Democrats pushing to cut back Republican illustration.
In November, California voters authorised a brand new Democratic-drawn congressional map that would let the get together acquire as much as 5 seats subsequent yr. The map was drawn in response to Texas’ redistricting push.
“Generally, when it turns into so excessive, like if California has no Republican representatives after that is achieved or has one left, I feel that makes folks so dissatisfied,” he mentioned. “They suppose, ‘Effectively, the electoral course of isn’t working anymore. Possibly now we have to resort to different means.’”
“And I don’t need that, and I feel each events it may occur to, however I feel we’d like to concentrate on and take into consideration that earlier than we do all this,” he added.
Paul mentioned he doesn’t understand how the events can de-escalate the state of affairs.
Final week, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., additionally condemned redistricting efforts, saying in a “Meet the Press” interview that he agreed with Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., who criticized redistricting and has mentioned that “if you happen to combat fireplace with fireplace lengthy sufficient, all you’re going to have left is ashes.”
Clyburn additionally mentioned final week that the nation was going by “a repeat of a historical past that led to some catastrophic penalties in our earlier historical past.”
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