When it comes to last week's midterm elections and finding the bright spots that do exist, it turns out there's a lot to be thankful for. The state Supreme Court in North Carolina will be under Republican control, and Ohio's state Supreme Court will remain under Republican control, which is quite important for controlling future redistricting processes.
This is particularly good news for the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) and their Judicial Fairness Initiative (JFI), which in February announced a plan to push back against former Attorney General Eric Holder, who now serves as the head of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and is going about a "sue until it's blue gerrymandering scheme."
And when it comes to races across the country finally having been finalized, that effort was certainly a success.
"State Supreme Court races were a bright spot for Republicans last night, and the results in North Carolina, Ohio, and Michigan are major blows to Eric Holder’s sue until its blue gerrymandering scheme," RSLC President Dee Duncan said in a statement for Townhall. "Republican wins in the Tarheel State and Buckeye State ensure that the redistricting fights ahead in those states within the next decade are ruled on by strong conservatives who will follow the Constitution and don’t believe it’s their role to draw maps from the bench. In Michigan, Brian Zahra’s victory keeps the opportunity alive to flip control of the Court by 2026."
In the case of North Carolina, where Senator-elect Ted Budd was also elected at the federal level to replace retiring Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Republicans flipped the Supreme Court there. Republicans Trey Allen and Richard Dietz managed to defeat their Democratic opponents, despite liberals having spent $5.6 million on ads to hold the seats.
While North Carolina has a Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is a Republican, and both chambers of the state legislature are also under Republican control.
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A report from NBC News pointed out that the "switch is certain to factor into major legal battles in the coming years over issues such as redistricting."
The state Supreme Court for Ohio, a state that has been increasingly solidifying itself as a red state, also saw a sweep on Election Day. Sharon Kennedy, Pat Fischer, and Pat DeWine all emerged victorious that night, where Ohio has the proud distinction of determining the winner of elections on Election Day. A report from the Columbus Dispatch highlighted how these wins "will extend the GOP's 36-year streak of holding a majority on the court and likely influence future decisions on redistricting."
CBS 13 pointed out further significance, in that Ohioans voted "for the first time, [to] elect a chief justice identified as Republican on the ballot."
There's even victories to celebrate in Michigan. Republican Brian Zahra was re-elected to the Michigan Supreme Court, despite being outspent 2 to 1. While Democrats do have a majority, it's a narrow one, at 4 to 3. Zahra's win "gives the GOP a chance to change the balance of power on the Court in 2026," as a RSLC press release mentioned, emphasizing Duncan's point above.
Michigan was a redistricting priority state for RSLC-JFC. The JFI had launched a $200,000 independent expenditure campaign in support of Zahra, with the press releasing adding that the JFI had "followed the plan it announced in February to push back on Eric Holder’s sue until its blue gerrymandering scheme by spending record resources in state Supreme Court races in key states where judges may play a role in the redistricting process throughout the decade."
These state Supreme Court victories and the role of the RSLC was mentioned in several national and local news reports and tweets from political figures.
One particular mention comes from Reuters, which mentioned the "outcome of state supreme court races in Tuesday's midterm elections could have profound consequences for control of the U.S. Congress in the future."
Guy also tweeted about such races and their impact.
OH, NC state Supreme Court wins will have significant impact on future redistricting battles
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 9, 2022
Kyle Kondik of Sabato's Crystal Ball tweeted about such implications as well.
Rs got their Supreme Court victories in OH and NC. Likely has consequences for redistricting next year -- Ds had a good night in each state for House but worse maps may be on horizon as Rs build defenses to protect what looks like a fairly small majority
— Kyle Kondik (@kkondik) November 9, 2022
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