Democrats got some fantastic news on Monday as the US Supreme Court refused to intervene and help Republicans restore their gerrymandered districts in Pennsylvania.

The Washington Post reported, “The Supreme Court denied a request from Pennsylvania Republicans to delay redrawing congressional lines, meaning the 2018 elections in the state probably will be held in districts far more favorable to Democrats.”

Democrats outnumber Republicans in Pennsylvania, but Republicans control 13 of the state’s 18 House seats, largely thanks to extreme gerrymandering. The Republican-controlled state legislature faces a February 9th deadline to get a newly redrawn map to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. If Republicans miss the deadline, the state Supreme Court will draw the map for the May 15 primary.

Democrats could pick up at least 5 House seats in PA with a new map

A new map would make Democrats competitive or favored in 5-7 seats that are currently controlled by Republicans. The Sixth District, Seventh District, Eighth District, Eleventh District, 15th and 16th Districts could all move to the left with a non-gerrymandered map. Considering that Democrats were already looking at favorable situations for House seat pickups in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and California, a redrawn map in Pennsylvania could wipe out Republican control of the House.

In a time when the good news keeps coming for Democrats ahead of the midterm election, the end of the gerrymandered map in Pennsylvania could go down as some of the best news of all.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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