Emily’s List eyes state races ahead of redistricting battle

A female-focused, pro-abortion rights political group is taking aim at GOP-controlled statehouses in 14 states in an attempt to give Democrats an edge in the next round of redistricting.

Emily’s List on Wednesday announced a major campaign targeting state-level Republicans in elections through 2020, the next year that state officials will redraw the borders of their legislative and congressional districts. 

{mosads}“We can fight back against Republican gerrymandering and ensure that women have a voice in the redistricting process,” Jess O’Connell, executive director of Emily’s List, told reporters Wednesday.

She said the campaign will focus on electing more Democratic women, particularly those who support abortion rights, and will fight back at the Republicans nationwide who “have been able to turn the map artificially red.”

The group will spend $1 million in 2016, with the goal of flipping eight chambers in seven states: Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire and New Mexico.

In Michigan, for example, Democrats need to pick up just nine out of 110 seats to regain control of the House.

Emily’s List also plans to go big in 2018, when 15 Republican governors are either term-limited or retiring, and in 2020, but has not yet announced a dollar amount.

“We are going to compete in more races than we’ve ever competed in,” O’Connell added. “Our goal is to flip chambers, break into Republican supermajorities and win gubernatorial seats.”

Democratic state parties are trying to mount a major comeback in 2020 after a blowout year in 2010, when Republicans picked up 675 state seats and took over 12 more state legislatures.

Republicans currently control 68 of 98 state legislative chambers, as well as 31 out of 50 governor’s seats.

Around the country, all but a handful of states allow their legislatures to control the redistricting process. The rest use independent or bipartisan panels.