On June 28, 2006, the Supreme Court of the United States issued an opinion which allowed state legislatures to redraw the maps for Congressional districts at any time.

That ruling has already begun to change the nation's political landscape.

When Republicans in Texas, led by Tom Delay, redrew the lines in that state, they picked up 5 seats in Congress. GOP legislators in Georgia and Colorado have since attempted the same power play. In Atlanta, they were successful; in Denver, they were not.

Time and time again, Republicans have shown that they will cut the Democratic voter base and gerrymander districts in favor of their incumbents, and now, when they take control of a legislature, they aren’t even willing to wait until the end of the decade before they go to work.

Currently, of the 36 state legislatures that control Congressional redistricting, 23 chambers in 17 of these states are within 5 seats of tying or changing hands.

These 17 states will redistrict 198 Congressional districts.

Democrats must have a seat at the table when the district lines are cut to ensure competitive districts. We need to win at the local level.

Fortunately, Democrats gained legislative seats in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.

The state legislatures were the bright spot for the Democratic Party in 2004, when we picked up 45 seats and pushed 10 chambers toward Democratic control. In the 2006 elections, Democrats picked up 330 state legislative seats and 10 chambers. In 2007, Democrats took control of the State Senates in Virginia and Mississippi, and Democrats won control of several additional chambers in 2008.

In the 49 states that elect partisan legislatures, Democrats now control 60 chambers to the Republicans' 36, with two chambers tied.

With the enormity of the stakes in mind, the DLCC continues to develop innovative ways to support Democratic state legislators and candidates.