New York Times columnist David Brooks and Boston Globe counterpart Kimberly Atkins Stohr joined forces on Friday’s PBS News Hour to lament the nation’s redistricting “race to the bottom,” which they blamed solely on Republicans.
Moderator Geoff Bennett began with Stohr, “I mentioned in the introduction the redistricting battle. You have got both parties escalating, Republicans in North Carolina, Democrats in Virginia. Is there any off-ramp in this fight right now?”
Stohr immediately put the onus on Republicans as she claimed history started in Texas, “Well, so far it the only out ramp that I could see — off-ramp I could see is if the Republicans finally stop the push. What you have seen from the Democratic leaders in the states is that they are reacting to what Republicans are doing. I was heartened by California's move to actually build into their law a sunset that basically says, look, when Texas stops, we will too. But we can't have a redistricting war race to the bottom.”
Moving on to the Supreme Court, Stohr added, “That is terrible for democracy for everyone. It skews representation and it makes our government work better for nobody. There is a Congress. You would think that they could come together and fix this, but they won't. The Supreme Court, I fear, with their decision on the Voting Rights Act that's going to come later this term that guts — will likely gut a bigger hole out of it, will only make it worse.”
Ironically, if the Court rules against Stohr’s wishes, it will be ending racial gerrymandering that gives Democrats a free 19-seat head start.
Nevertheless, Stohr claimed the current situation is just Democrats defending themselves, “I really don't know how we get to the end of this, but I certainly don't think a race to the war bottom is the way to go. But I also think if somebody is advancing bad policy, the other side has no — has every right to try to defend itself.”
Bennett then turned to Brooks, “And there is this dynamic where you have lawmakers choosing their voters, as opposed to voters choosing their lawmakers.”
Brooks agreed and tried waxing poetic, “Yeah, I mean, people died in Valley Forge or at least got cold there. People died on the beaches of D-Day to preserve American democracy.”
After lamenting that states are in the process of eliminating competitive races, Brooks hinted that Republicans are to blame for starting the decline by urging Democrats to be above it:
I think it's a mistake for the Democrats to join the race to the bottom, both for moral reasons, which I just tried to express, but also for political reasons. I do think the country is going to be in the mood for integrity, for upholding the standards, defending the Constitution just the way after Watergate the country went for Jimmy Carter because they thought they were getting integrity. And I think that's the play here. And in the long run, the Democrats, not only morally, but politically, would be better off by saying we don't play that game.
Ultimately what PBS is upset about is not gerrymandering per se. It is that Texas decided to redistrict in the middle of the decade. They were perfectly content to see blue states gerrymander Republicans out of existence in New England or to have the VRA provide Democrats free seats despite the era of Jim Crow being long over.
Here is a transcript for the October 24 show:
PBS News Hour
10/24/2025
7:37 PM ET
GEOFF BENNETT: Yes, I mentioned in the introduction the redistricting battle. You have got both parties escalating, Republicans in North Carolina, Democrats in Virginia. Is there any off-ramp in this fight right now?
KIMBERLY ATKINS STOHR: Well, so far it the only out ramp that I could see — off-ramp I could see is if the Republicans finally stop the push. What you have seen from the Democratic leaders in the states is that they are reacting to what Republicans are doing. I was heartened by California's move to actually build into their law a sunset that basically says, look, when Texas stops, we will too. But we can't have a redistricting war race to the bottom.
That is terrible for democracy for everyone. It skews representation and it makes our government work better for nobody. There is a Congress. You would think that they could come together and fix this, but they won't. The Supreme Court, I fear, with their decision on the Voting Rights Act that's going to come later this term that guts — will likely gut a bigger hole out of it, will only make it worse.
I really don't know how we get to the end of this, but I certainly don't think a race to the war bottom is the way to go. But I also think if somebody is advancing bad policy, the other side has no — has every right to try to defend itself.
BENNETT: And there is this dynamic where you have lawmakers choosing their voters, as opposed to voters choosing their lawmakers.
STOHR: Yeah.
DAVID BROOKS: Yeah, I mean, people died in Valley Forge or at least got cold there. People died on the beaches of D-Day to preserve American democracy.
STOHR: Yes.
BROOKS: And what stuns me, frankly, is why the voters in Texas and California and I guess Virginia and North Carolina and all these other states are not, like, saying, you're disenfranchising. Why bother to vote in a House race in 2026 when the outcome is already predetermined? They're basically trying to eliminate competitive races. And they're going to succeed, apparently.
And so I just think it's atrocious that people don't put the democracy and their country above their party. They think as long as it's my party that's doing the rigging, fine. I'm fine with that.
I think it's a mistake for the Democrats to join the race to the bottom, both for moral reasons, which I just tried to express, but also for political reasons. I do think the country is going to be in the mood for integrity, for upholding the standards, defending the Constitution just the way after Watergate the country went for Jimmy Carter because they thought they were getting integrity.
And I think that's the play here. And in the long run, the Democrats, not only morally, but politically, would be better off by saying we don't play that game.
