idway through Tuesday night, as the blue wave began to crest, the man who drew California’s new congressional map poked a little fun at the GOP’s expense. Paul Mitchell, whose firm Redistricting Partners executed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s map-drawing effort, was watching election returns come in from Florida, Texas, and North Carolina. All three are states where Republicans redrew their lines at President Trump’s urging.
“Night of the Broken Gerrymander,” Mitchell posted on X.
Three hours later, the wave had clearly washed away much of what Republicans hoped to gain through redistricting, and Mitchell sharpened the jab. He referred to GOP efforts as the “DummyMander,” crediting the fictional Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Dummy, a riff on Elbridge Gerry, the real governor who gave the gerrymander its name.
The namesake was a joke. The rebuke behind it was not, and it added a fresh sting to an already painful night for Republicans.
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