Obama's Unpopularity Hands GOP Chance to Redraw Map

President Obama's unpopularity could end up hurting the Democrats for more than a decade thanks to congressional redistricting, writes Karl Rove. Lines will be redrawn in many areas based on the US Census results, and with the GOP likely to gain plenty of seats in state legislatures this fall, it'll be Republicans who get to shift boundaries to their advantage, Rove gloats in the Wall Street Journal.

The effect of redistricting will be even more pronounced because of the population shift from blue to red states, Rove writes, noting that California probably won't be gaining any seats for the first time since it became a state. With the Republicans targeting selected state legislatures that would give them control of redistricting for nearly 190 congressional seats, Democrats at all levels may soon realize they're not "immune to the politically poisonous effects of the Obama presidency," Rove concludes. (More redistricting stories.)