Jeffries: Democrats will counter GOP gerrymanders nationwide (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: So, you clearly think that you now have an advantage in this gerrymandering race that we've really seen play out in unprecedented ways across the country this cycle. Do you think that Democrats are going to gerrymander their way to the majority?

[00:00:12] Speaker 2: Well, we're not going to gerrymander our way to the majority. We are going to win the majority because the American people know that Republicans have gone way too far. They failed to keep their promises. They're rejecting the extremism of Republicans and embracing the fact that Democrats have made clear. So, we're going to work hard to lower the high cost of living, to fix our broken health care system, to reform the out-of-control ICE situation, and to clean up corruption.

[00:00:39] Speaker 1: So there was a big ruling in Virginia that just came down the pike here. Potentially, this will go as a ballot referendum in April to voters in Virginia to decide whether or not to give you guys up to four more seats. This would be a 10-1 difference between Democrats and Republicans in a pretty purple state. Is this overreaching on the Democrats' part?

[00:01:01] Speaker 2: Republicans started this redistricting war, and Democrats have made clear we're going to finish it. We're going to make sure that there is a fair national map. So at the end of the day, it's the voters who get to decide who's in the majority after the November midterm elections and not Donald Trump. When they go low, we strike back. That's the Democratic approach, and the Republicans are feeling it right now.

[00:01:26] Speaker 1: I mean, when they go low, you're going lower, it seems like.

[00:01:29] Speaker 2: We're not going lower. We're striking back. We're going to make sure that there's a fair national map. Donald Trump is the one who instructed five different Republican states to gerrymander the national congressional map. And the reason why he did that is because he wanted to rig the midterm elections and for whatever the reason, didn't think that Democrats were going to forcefully respond. He got that wrong. They thought we wouldn't respond in California. They thought we wouldn't respond in Virginia. They thought we wouldn't win the litigation in Utah. They thought we wouldn't force a referendum in Missouri. They thought we wouldn't successfully push them back in Ohio. They got that all wrong, and now they're feeling the consequences.

[00:02:15] Speaker 1: So do you think that you'll have the advantage here come November on this issue of gerrymandering?

[00:02:20] Speaker 2: The best case scenario for Republicans at this point is status quo, which is very different than what they were claiming when they were beating on their chests last year saying they were going to gerrymander our opportunities out of existence. In fact, some of them said, we're going to pick up 10 or 12 or 15 seats. They're not saying that anymore.

[00:02:41] Speaker 1: So you said they tried to rig the elections. The other side may say, well, that's exactly what the Democrats are doing.

[00:02:46] Speaker 2: They're trying to rig the elections now too. No, we're forcefully making sure that the overall national map is free and fair. And so whatever advantage Republicans thought they were going to obtain by gerrymandering in red states across the country, we are making sure those advantages are completely and totally wiped out.

[00:03:09] Speaker 1: How much money are you guys willing to spend on Virginia? Now this is going to go to a ballot referendum in April, could have a huge impact on the midterms. How much money are you guys willing to put in to get this ballot initiative through? Whatever it takes. I mean, that's, that sounds like a lot. It could be several multi-million dollar campaigns.

[00:03:27] Speaker 2: We will spend tens of millions of dollars to make sure that the Republicans do not successfully manipulate voters in Virginia and that voters have all of the information necessary to make a decision around whether they want Donald Trump to rig the midterm elections and halt the ability for the American people to decide who's in the majority or whether the people of Virginia and the people of America should be the ones to decide.

[00:03:56] Speaker 1: Do you worry about the cash situation with these outside groups? I mean, the DNC, we're sitting in the DNC building right now, the RNC had a hundred million dollars more than the DNC at the beginning of this year. That has to concern you.

[00:04:08] Speaker 2: Well, it's not surprising that when one party has the White House, that the RNC of course is going to be in a somewhat stronger position financially than the DNC in the off year.

[00:04:20] Speaker 1: Let's talk about Maryland because it's a fight within your own party. The governor, Wes Moore, is backing this plan to redraw the one Republican essentially out of his district. This has passed the state house, but it's being held up in the state Senate by one man, the state Senate president, Bill Ferguson, Bill Ferguson, who's now bringing this to the floor for a vote. What are the implications if he continues to stand against you and your party?

[00:04:43] Speaker 2: Well, I'm not convinced that he's going to be successful. Governor Moore has been incredibly strong, resilient, patriotic, and visionary on this issue. We know, I'm very thankful to the Maryland House of Delegates who decisively passed this legislation, which by the way, is going to give voters the opportunity in Maryland to make a decision about the future of this map. That's the difference between Democrats and Republicans. They are passing maps that they are intentionally gerrymandering, often wiping away black or Latino districts in the dead of night legislatively because they're petrified of taking these things to the voters. We're taking these things to the voters. That was done in California. That's being done in Virginia. And that also is the legislation that is being undertaken and considered in Maryland now.

[00:05:33] Speaker 1: But if he stands firm, if he stands firm, could he cost you the majority, this Democratic state Senate president in Maryland?

[00:05:38] Speaker 2: Well, he'd have to live with that if that's the outcome at the end of the day. But I don't think that's going to be the outcome because we know we have majority support right now as we speak in the Maryland state Senate. And all we're asking President Ferguson to do is allow democracy to prevail. What that means is an up or down vote. One man shouldn't stand in the way of the people of Maryland through their representatives in the state Senate being able to decide, should we go in this direction or should we not answer Donald Trump's continued efforts to rig the midterm elections?

[00:06:15] Speaker 1: He seems to be concerned that this could lead to legal challenges and it could even backfire for your party. Is he right? Could it backfire?

[00:06:22] Speaker 2: He's not right. Have you spoken to him? Ferguson? Yeah, Ferguson. I'm going to talk to Ferguson in several weeks. You plan to? Well, at some point, I'm going to have to have a conversation with him if he continues to stand in the way of an up or down vote, but hopefully over the next few days, he'll change his mind.

[00:06:37] Speaker 1: Okay. So I'm wondering, there's also the possibility that the Supreme Court could really change things on the Voting Rights Act. It could even impact things this cycle. Does that worry you that the Supreme Court could come in and really undermine your chances to take back the majority?

[00:06:51] Speaker 2: I think it's important for the Supreme Court to stay consistent. And just two years ago or so, in the Alabama case, Justice Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh affirmed the continued importance of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. So I have no idea why two or three years later, they would overturn their own decision, particularly in this environment where Donald Trump has launched an all-out assault on civil rights, on voting rights, on black history, on these principles of diversity and equity and inclusion. Why in this environment, where we're seeing a resurgence of racism and oppression, could the Supreme Court possibly conclude that the Voting Rights Act is outdated?

[00:07:36] Speaker 1: But if they do, what does that mean for your chances to take back the House?

[00:07:40] Speaker 2: Well, I think the interesting thing is that if, for whatever the reason, they allow certain states in the Deep South to reopen the congressional map, that doesn't mean that every other state in other parts of the country, including the North, the Midwest, and the West, can't do exactly the same thing. So I would caution Republicans, be careful what you wish for. They've already gone down this road once before, and they've seen the outcome. This whole gerrymandering scheme has completely and totally backfired on them. Do they want to double down on that failed effort?

[00:08:15] Speaker 1: My panel's back. It is remarkable how much this issue, redrawing House lines, now could determine the next House majority.

[00:08:23] Speaker 3: Absolutely. I mean, and, you know, Jeffries is right that a lot of times when you undertake these efforts, it's a be careful what you wish for situation. I mean, I think we've already seen that what happened in Texas really could have a blowback effect for Republicans, particularly since they're using 2024 vote to apportion these districts. And, you know, it's very clear that the vote is, or it looks very likely that the vote is going to look a lot different in 2026. So, but, you know, this is going to be a big mess.

[00:08:54] Speaker 1: Every seat matters, which is why the Maryland seat, he's trying to strong arm his Democrat to fall in line. That was a fascinating interview.

[00:09:00] Speaker 4: That is a leader who feels very, very comfortable in an evolution that has played out to Democratic advantage, which nobody thought was going to be the case several months ago when this began. And he's willing to press that advantage at a level that with Jeffries, who is very, very cautious to get over his skis on things and has been that way. This is a confident leader who is very willing to press the case.

[00:09:21] Speaker 1: And the Voting Rights Act, though, if the Supreme Court strikes that down, that could change the dynamics significantly.

[00:09:26] Speaker 5: That could. And that, especially in Southern states, Republican led states that have large black voting populations and quite frankly, the Congressional Black Caucus, we've seen the difference that enforcing the Voting Rights Act has had on black representation in Congress. It wouldn't affect every black lawmaker and there are plenty of black lawmakers that aren't necessarily in districts protected by the Voting Rights Act, but there are many and we'll see how that's impacted by what the Supreme Court determines.

[00:09:55] Speaker 1: Yeah, it's going to be a huge, huge ruling. All right. That's big implications as well.