By Joe Schoffstall
Free Beacon
September 25, 2017
A group focused on redistricting linked to former President Barack Obama gave $500,000 to the Democratic Party of Virginia to support the gubernatorial campaign of Democratic candidate Ralph Northam, records show.
The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), a Washington, D.C.-based organization founded in 2016 that is chaired by former Attorney General Eric Holder, is dedicated to “enacting a comprehensive, multi-cycle Democratic Party redistricting strategy over the next 5 years and beyond.” The group seeks to impact the 2021 redistricting process by utilizing electoral, legal, and ballot initiative components.
“Republican gerrymandered districts after the 2010 Census have put Democrats at a massive structural disadvantage,” the NDRC website states. “That’s why the most important turning point for the future of the Democratic Party will take place in 2021: when states redraw their Congressional and state legislative lines.”
The NDRC gave the donation to the Democratic Party of Virginia Coordinated Campaign on August 29 in support of Northam, campaign data from the Virginia Public Access Project shows. Northam is running for governor against Republican Ed Gillespie. Large contributions such as this are permissible in Virginia because the state does not have a limit on campaign giving.
This appears to be the first donation from the group, which plans on zeroing in on state elections that could impact redistricting.
