Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is pouring money into the campaign operations of black lawmakers targeted by the Republican Party’s mid-decade redistricting efforts, especially in the South.
The New Jersey Democrat is spending at least six figures on black Democrats, Southern state Democratic parties, and allied groups, according to MS Now. The exact amount of money offered is unspecified in the report.
Booker says he is trying to defend black representation, which he believes is threatened by GOP-led redistricting.
“The midterms must now be a movement election to defend Black representation and stand up for the principles of our democracy,” he posted on X. “It is going to require resources, which is why I’m proud to support candidates and organizations on the frontlines of the fight.”
The senator is allocating the money toward Democratic incumbents affected by redistricting this election cycle, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, outside groups, and seven state Democratic parties, a Booker aide told MS Now. Those parties are based in Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Most of these states, with the exception of South Carolina, either already have enacted or are actively pursuing newly drawn congressional maps that will give Republicans an edge in the midterm elections. The state legislature in South Carolina recently blocked a redistricting bill that would have targeted Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), a longtime black congressman seeking reelection this year.
Republicans stand to gain up to 10 House seats nationwide if all goes well for their candidates in the midterm elections.
The GOP-led redistricting push across the South was bolstered by the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais ruling, which determined racial gerrymandering was unlawful and weakened a provision in the Voting Rights Act.
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS VOWS TO BLOCK COLLEGE SPORTS REFORM OVER SOUTHERN STATES’ REDISTRICTING
Booker, along with the rest of the Democratic Party, has been extremely critical of the landmark decision since the high court handed it down in late April.
“We’re already seeing Southern states openly discuss eliminating Black representation—drawing districts that disenfranchise African American voters and strip them of meaningful representation,” Booker said on MS Now’s Morning Joe one day after the ruling. “I am here as a United States senator because of a movement that fought to end this kind of discrimination.”
