Gillespie: Republicans a Step Behind on Redistricting
Veteran Republican strategist Ed Gillespie expressed concern on Thursday that his party may not be ready for the upcoming redistricting battle yet.
Gillespie helped lead his party to historical gains in the state legislatures that will draw the maps as head of the Republican State Leadership Committee last year. In an interview with Hotline On Call, Gillespie said the next step in the redistricting process -- having the gigabytes of data ready for state legislators -- worries him.
"I don't think there is, for the next phase, the infrastructure to pick up where that leaves off," Gillespie said. "In some places they do [have the data] and some places they don't."
He agreed that when the Republican data group, Making America's Promise Secure, fizzled, it left Republicans scrambling for a replacement. "Folks are working on it," he said. "It's a priority for a lot of people in the party, and there's time. "
The former Republican National Committee chairman did say, however, that Republicans might be less prepared data-wise in the first states to redraw their maps: New Jersey, Virginia, Louisiana, Kentucky and Mississippi.
Gillespie described redistricting efforts as a three-legged stool: picking up statehouse seats, having the data to draw the maps, and having the legal resources to defend them.
"I've not been involved since the first leg has been completed," he said. "It's somebody else's turn to take the next step."
Gillespie isn't the only Republican who has said recently that the GOP is lagging in getting its redistricting operation up and running. Former New York Rep. Tom Reynolds (R) told Hotline On Call earlier this month that a group needed to be formed soon.
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