When it comes to last week’s midterm elections and finding the brilliant spots that do exist, it turns out there is a lot to be thankful for. The North Carolina State Supreme Court will be under Republican control, and the Ohio Supreme Court will remain under Republican control, which is quite vital for controlling future redistricting processes.
This is especially good news for the Republican State Leadership Commission (RSLC) and its Judicial Justice Initiative (JFI), which in February announced a plan to oppose former Attorney General Eric Holder, who now serves as head of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, and is filing a “lawsuit until this becomes an illegal gerry manipulation scheme.”
And when it comes to finally finalizing races across the country, the effort has certainly been a success.
“State Supreme Court races were a bright spot for Republicans last night, and the results in North Carolina, Ohio and Michigan represent a major blow to Eric Holder’s blue gerrymandering lawsuit,” RSLC President Dee Duncan said in a statement to Townhall. “Republican victories in the Tarheel and Buckeye states ensure that the redistricting fights that will unfold in these states over the next decade will be led by strong conservatives who will abide by the Constitution and do not believe their role is to draw maps from the bench. Michigan, Brian Zahra’s Victory Maintains Chance to Reverse Control of Court by 2026.”
In case North Carolinawhere Senator-elect Ted Budd was also elected at the federal level to replace retiring Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Republicans have turned their backs on the Supreme Court on this issue. Republicans Trey Allen and Richard Dietz managed to defeat their Democratic opponents, even though liberals spent $5.6 million on ads to keep their seats.
Although North Carolina has a Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is a Republican, and both houses of the state legislature are also under Republican control.
Report from NBC News He stressed that “the change will certainly cause serious legal disputes in the coming years on issues such as redistricting.”
State Supreme Court for Ohiothe state, which is increasingly solidifying itself as a red state, also saw a surge on Election Day. Sharon Kennedy, Pat Fischer and Pat DeWine were victorious on an evening in which Ohio has the honor of being crowned the winner of the election on Election Day. Report from Sending Columbus highlighted how these victories “will extend the GOP’s 36-year streak of having a supermajority on the court and will likely influence future redistricting decisions.”
CBS 13 he noticed further significance in the fact that Ohioans voted “for the first time, [to] elect a chief justice who is voted to be a Republican.”
There is even reason to celebrate victories in Michigan. Republican Brian Zahra was re-elected to the Michigan Supreme Court despite a 2-to-1 margin. While Democrats have a majority, it is a narrow 4-to-3. Zahra’s victory “gives the GOP a chance to shift the balance of voting power over the Court in 2026.” , as mentioned in the RSLC press release, emphasizing Duncan’s point above.
Michigan was a priority redistricting state for the RSLC-JFC. JFI launched an independent campaign to spend $200,000 on behalf of Zahra, and the press release added that JFI “proceeded in accordance with the plan announced in February delay the Eric Holder lawsuit until the blue gerrymandering plan is implemented, spending record resources on state Supreme Court races in key states where justices could play a role in the redistricting process throughout the decade.”
The state Supreme Court victories and the RSLC’s role were mentioned in several national and local news reports and tweets from political figures.
One particular mention comes to mind from Reuterswhich mentioned that “the outcome of state Supreme Court races in Tuesday’s midterm elections could have major consequences for control of the U.S. Congress in the future.”
Guy also tweeted about such races and their impact.
North Carolina Supreme Court victories will have a significant impact on future redistricting battles
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 9, 2022
Kyle Kondik of Crystal Ball Sabato also tweeted about such consequences.
Rs have won Supreme Court victories in Ohio and North Carolina. This will likely have implications for redistricting next year – the Ds had a good night for the House in every state, but there may be worse maps on the horizon as the Rs build defenses to protect what looks like a fairly slim majority
— Kyle Kondik (@kkondik) November 9, 2022
