ProPublica — How Dark Money Helped Republicans Hold the House and Hurt Voters

In the November election, a million more Americans voted for Democrats seeking election to the U.S. House of Representatives than Republicans. But that popular vote advantage did not result in control of the chamber. Instead, despite getting fewer votes, Republicans have maintained a commanding control of the House. Such a disparity has happened only three times in the last century.

Analysts and others have identified redistricting as a key to the disparity. Republicans had ayears-long strategy of winning state houses in order to control each state’s once-a-decade redistricting process. (Confused about redistricting? Check out our song.)

Republican strategist Karl Rove laid out the approach in a Wall Street Journal column in early 2010 headlined “He who controls redistricting can control Congress.”

The Raw Story
How Dark Money Helped Republicans Hold the House and Hurt Voters
Olga Pierce, Justin Elliott and Theodoric Meyer | ProPublica