Republican strategist Scott Jennings was issued a fierce rebuke Sunday after championing the GOP’s recent gerrymandering blitz, remarks that one Democratic strategist characterized as dismissive to the “surgical attack” on Black voters spearheaded by the Trump administration.
Last week, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that effectively gutted a provision of the Voting Rights Act that prohibited racially discriminatory voting policies. Republican-led states subsequently scrambled to redraw their states’ congressional district maps to benefit Republicans, and in most cases, at the expense of Black voters.
Nevertheless, Jennings championed the gerrymandering blitz during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” touting his party’s newfound chances at maintaining a majority in Congress after the midterm elections.
“The math and the map totally upended! Just a few days ago, Republicans were in the doldrums about the midterms,” Jennings said. “Now, because of Virginia, because of the redraws after the Voting Rights Act case, you’ve got Republicans feeling resurgent. The map looks good, the money looks good, the candidates look good, so we actually have a real race here!”
Democratic strategist Ashley Allison, who previously served in the Biden-Harris 2020 campaign, immediately took issue with Jennings’ remarks.
“You all are cheating – just accept it,” Allison said, prompting Jennings to interject in protest.
Allison quickly shut down Jennings’ interjection.
“Let me just finish! You’re cheating because you, politically, are not favorable right now, so this is the only way you would actually win the House, by drawing maps. These maps are hurting one group of voters, and that is Black voters,” Allison said.
“Black voters were losing power in Texas. The Voting Rights Act was gutted, and [in] less than a week, you all took power away from Black people in Tennessee, in South Carolina, in Louisiana. So perhaps this cheating might work out in your favor, but let me tell you: there is one group of voters that will not be silenced in this moment… you have really erupted the sleeping giant that has passively been seeing what this administration is doing.”
“They have surgically attacked Black voters since day one; from cutting DEI to now with the Voting Rights Act.”
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