Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, has strongly criticized Republican-led states for redrawing congressional maps to favor their party, calling the effort "evil incarnate" in an interview with the Guardian's new podcast, Stateside with Kai and Carter.
Abrams Accuses Republicans of Cheating
Abrams argued that the redistricting amounts to intentional "cheating" designed to suppress the voting power of racial minorities. She stressed that this must be challenged both in courts and at the ballot box. "We've got to point out that they are not just rigging the game," she said. "They are not just cheating. They're kneecapping the players. They are taking out the opposition. That's not fair. That is not right. That is not American."
The gerrymandering issue has escalated beyond party lines, according to Abrams. "This is not just cheating so Republicans can beat Democrats – this is cheating so that authoritarians can dismantle our systems so they don't have to compete ever again," she emphasized.
Impact of Supreme Court Ruling
Two weeks after the US Supreme Court effectively weakened a key part of the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais, several Republican-led states have moved quickly to redraw congressional maps to benefit the GOP by eliminating majority-minority districts. Abrams described this as "evil" and "evil incarnate," adding that her nieces and nephews are "the first generation to lose civil rights during their lifetime since Reconstruction."
The Voting Rights Act, while imperfect, had provided "a cheat code to overwhelm voter suppression," Abrams said, but it is now significantly weakened. She urged voting rights activists to continue fighting the redistricting drive in the courts, even if they lose. "This is no longer a battle of Democrats v Republicans," she asserted. "We're in a competitive authoritarian state," where democratic institutions have "become the weapons of authoritarianism."
Tennessee's Redistricting Example
In Tennessee, one of the first states where Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act was effectively stripped, the last remaining majority-Black district has been dismantled. The state's 9th congressional district, which includes Memphis, has been split into three parts, each containing nearly a third of the city's Black voters. The new maps make all nine of Tennessee's congressional districts Republican-leaning.
Abrams noted that "winning in Tennessee was never going to be about stopping the maps," but rather about how voters respond. One response is to continue legal battles, building a record for future challenges. "Long before we got Brown v. Board of Education, we had Plessy v. Ferguson, we had Dred Scott," she said. "Fighting in the courts is how we build the record, but it's also how we build the muscle memory – for why we fight and how we sharpen and refine our arguments."
The other response is to boost voter registration and turnout in those fractured districts. Abrams argued that while the GOP is likely to win, it has also "created three new opportunities" for Democrats. "Our job is to grow. Our job is to use the scattering and say, OK, fine. You took the one we had. Well, now you've given us three opportunities to come back," she said.
Demographic Shifts and Urgency
Abrams highlighted that demographic trends favor progressives. "The numbers are on our side," she said, noting that by 2046, the US will become a majority-minority country. She pointed to the recent election in Hungary, where high voter turnout led to the ousting of authoritarian leader Viktor Orbán after 16 years. "Hungary pulled it off," Abrams said. "But we don't have 16 years to wait."
