The NPR Politics Podcast

Episode: How Openly Partisan Gerrymandering Is Becoming Normalized

Date: August 22, 2025
Hosts: Tamara Keith, Myles Parks, Ashley Lopez

Episode Overview

In this episode, the NPR Politics team examines the accelerating trend of openly partisan gerrymandering in the United States. The discussion centers on how both Republican and Democratic-led states are now pursuing redistricting tactics designed to give their parties an edge, a shift fueled by Supreme Court decisions and the high-stakes political climate. The episode explores the practical and political ramifications of these changes, with on-the-ground examples from Texas and California, as well as the wider national context.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is Redistricting & Why Now?

[01:25–03:52]

• Redistricting is the redrawing of political maps every ten years after the census.
• Gerrymandering refers to redrawing these maps with the explicit intent to benefit one political party.
• A 2019 Supreme Court decision ruled that courts have no role in policing partisan gerrymandering, effectively handing regulation over to state legislatures.
  • Quote:
    “They basically said state legislatures can decide whether this is okay or not…experts saw that and said, oh, it's open season.”
    — Myles Parks [01:56]
• With Congress closely divided, minute changes in redistricting can have enormous effects on control of the House.

2. The Tech Factor: Easier Gerrymandering Than Ever

[03:33–03:52]

• Modern data analysis and computing allow for far more precise gerrymandering based on detailed demographic and voting behavior data.
  • Quote:
    “With all of the ability for data analysis that politicians have at their fingertips, it's a lot easier to predict how different demographics are going to vote.”
    — Myles Parks [03:44]

3. Case Study: Texas—No More Subtlety

[04:01–05:24]

• Texas Republicans are advancing a new congressional map, adding five safer GOP seats—an explicit request from President Trump.
• Texas's political advantages:
  • Gained congressional seats post-census.
  • Shifting Latino voting patterns.
  • 30 years of Republican single-party control.
  • Quote:
    “There is no secret here. As we talk about all the time, he says the quiet part out loud.”
    — Tamara Keith [04:34]
  • “If you want to gain some seats for Republicans…that is a good start.”
    — Ashley Lopez [05:13]

4. Case Study: California—A Reverse Turn

[05:24–08:19]

• California is moving to abandon its independent redistricting commission in favor of a legislature-drawn map—pending voter approval.
• Voter-approved reforms in 2008 previously aimed to de-partisan districting (championed by Arnold Schwarzenegger).
• The political culture has dramatically changed, and Democrats see this as a rare area to exercise muscle under Trump’s second term.
  • Quote:
    “The world looks very different…these good government proposals…turned out to be just…swing states and Democratic states.”
    — Ashley Lopez [07:03]
• Even good-government groups are now expressing support for partisan mapping, given the new reality.
  • Quote:
    “Groups like Common Cause have said, go ahead. This is a different reality than we were in, you know, just a year ago.”
    — Ashley Lopez [09:19]

5. The Post-2024 Trump Era: New Norms and Open Tactics

[08:19–09:08]

• Political actors now openly state their partisan goals in redistricting, a major break from even recent past practice.
  • Quote:
    “Lawmakers in Texas are…saying explicitly, we are doing this to try to gain power in Congress…their openness…is a post-2024 Trump winning tactic, I think.”
    — Myles Parks [09:08]
• California Democrats are justifying their redistricting as a fight for democracy and against Trumpism.

6. Nationwide Implications and Uncertain Outcomes

[10:34–13:07]

• Other states under GOP control (like Florida, Indiana, Missouri) are also being pressured to gerrymander for advantage.
• Exact partisan benefits remain hard to quantify due to fluctuating voter behavior and new data.
  • Quote:
    “Republican controlled states have a lot more flexibility in this area generally than Democratic states…But a year and some change is a really long time on the political calendar.”
    — Myles Parks [10:49]
• The 2024 Trump demographic—low-propensity, less reliable voters—makes these new maps less predictable in impact, especially for midterms vs. presidential cycles.

7. The Stakes for Trump and the GOP

[13:30–14:57]

• Trump has explicit stakes in retaining a compliant Congress to avoid oversight and continue pursuing his agenda.
  • Quote:
    “Right now, the President of the United States controls all of the levers of power…The only other check on that would be Congress. And right now he controls Congress and he does not want to give it up.”
    — Tamara Keith [13:46]
• Trump is also exerting influence over local and national election policy, extending beyond just redistricting—echoing his ongoing focus on election security and fraud narratives.

8. Are There Any Guardrails Left?

[14:57–15:42]

• Ballot measures to reduce partisanship in elections largely failed nationwide.
• There are now few legal or procedural barriers to prevent ruling parties in the states from maximizing their gains through gerrymandering.
  • Quote:
    “I am sort of shocked…there are so few guardrails to stop us from going down this path.”
    — Ashley Lopez [15:42]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Partisan gerrymander is essentially the politicians choosing the voters rather than the voters choosing their representatives.” — Tamara Keith [03:15]

• On how much has changed since 2008:
  “The whole understanding of these good government proposals is that everyone would do it…But it turned out to be just mostly swing states and Democratic states.”
  — Ashley Lopez [07:07]

• On open partisanship:
  “Their openness and kind of not being as scared of how voters are going to perceive that, that is a post 2024 Trump winning tactic, I think.”
  — Myles Parks [09:08]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Redistricting & Modern Gerrymandering Explained: 01:25–03:52
• Texas Case Study (Explicit GOP Move): 04:01–05:24
• California’s Ballot Measure for Partisan Maps: 05:24–08:19
• Open Season & Changing Political Norms: 08:19–09:08
• Good-government Groups and New Realities: 09:19
• Other States and Uncertainty Ahead: 10:34–13:07
• Trump’s Stake & Power Dynamics: 13:30–14:57
• Failures of Reform and Few Guardrails: 14:57–15:42

Tone & Style

The hosts maintain their hallmark NPR clarity and collegial energy, moving deftly between sharp political analysis and plain-language explanations. Personal perspectives and wry observations help contextualize the gravity of the trend while keeping things accessible:

• “He says the quiet part out loud.” — Tamara Keith [04:34]
• “Don’t encourage them [robots]; let’s keep them kind of mediocre at a lot of stuff.” — Ashley Lopez [23:30]

Conclusion

The episode offers a sobering look at the normalization of openly partisan redistricting in America, tracing the legal, technological, and political forces behind the shift. With changing norms, eroding public and institutional guardrails, and the explicit pursuit of partisan advantage, the stakes for upcoming elections are higher—and more unpredictable—than ever.

End of Summary