John Hinderaker, president of the Center of the American Experiment and contributor to Power Line, joined Chicago’s Morning Answer with Dan Proft to break down what he called a political and rhetorical misfire by Democratic leaders in the ongoing fight over congressional redistricting.
Recent interviews put two high-profile governors — New York’s Kathy Hochul and Illinois’ JB Pritzker — on the defensive after pointed questions about their own states’ heavily gerrymandered maps. Hochul faced scrutiny from Fox News’ Shannon Bream over New York’s court-rejected “comically contorted” districts, while Pritzker was pressed by Meet the Press host Kristen Welker on why Illinois’ map earned an “F” from multiple nonpartisan watchdog groups. Both governors largely sidestepped the accusations, reiterating “we followed the rules” and redirecting criticism toward Republican-led states.
Hinderaker argued the “save democracy” framing is losing potency, likening it to political buzzwords whose overuse has drained them of meaning. He pointed to an analysis by his organization showing that if congressional seats matched statewide vote totals from the last election, Republicans would hold six more seats and Democrats six fewer. By that measure, Democrats are already overrepresented — a fact Hinderaker says undercuts their moral high ground on the issue.
He also noted that Democrats have little room left to expand their advantage through redistricting in states they control. “In places like Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland, Republicans are already shut out entirely or nearly so,” he said. “There’s not much left to gerrymander.”
The conversation also touched on former Congressman Beto O’Rourke’s call for aggressive, preemptive redistricting in blue states to counter Republican moves in Texas and elsewhere. Hinderaker said O’Rourke was simply stating openly what Democrats have practiced for years, but questioned the strategic payoff given the current partisan maps.
Shifting to national politics, Hinderaker expressed skepticism about Republican Senator JD Vance’s prediction that multiple indictments would result from investigations into the origins of the Trump–Russia probe. While agreeing that the Russia collusion narrative was “the worst scandal in American political history,” Hinderaker said the legal path to prosecuting figures like former intelligence chiefs James Clapper and John Brennan remains unclear. Statutes of limitations and the difficulty of proving conspiracy or perjury charges could limit outcomes.
Looking ahead to 2026, Hinderaker was not optimistic about Republican prospects in the midterms. He cited high Democratic enthusiasm and a pattern of conservative-leaning voters turning out for Donald Trump but staying home in non-presidential races. “That could be a big problem in Minnesota and elsewhere,” he said.