Does Gerrymandering Always Undermine Progressivism?
• Writing in the Harvard Law and Policy Review, Ron Klain, who served as White House Chief of Staff to Vice-President Al Gore, argues that, even if progressive legislatures draw district lines to help elect other progressives, gerrymandering itself is fundamentally destructive to progressive interests: But this Essay’s contention is this: even if partisan gerrymandering worked out to be a “wash” for the two parties nationwide—i.e., even if Democrats gained as many seats from pro-Democratic plans as Republicans gained from pro-Republican plans—the long-run effect of such districting practices would be to lessen public support for progressive government and to tilt the political landscape in favor of conservatism. This view rests on four theses set forth below. Admittedly, these theses are more the product of a career of observation, rather than the result of social science research. They undoubtedly reflect certain biases, and they flow from the perspective—again, admittedly, a personal
