There are 7,382 legislators in the country, and there are 12 of us working at the DLCC to make sure that most of these public servants are Democrats.

Right now, our party controls 3,983 of the nation’s legislative seats and 57 of the 98 partisan legislative chambers. We’ve made net gains in every election since 2003, so yes -- we’re good at what we do.

And what is that exactly? How do we spend our time?

We build relationships with legislative leaders, professional staff, and activists in every part of the country. Through those connections, we organize and maintain winning, state-of-the-art campaign committees; develop state-specific electoral strategies; and offer access to tools like polling, communications, research, and fundraising capabilities.

Why does this all matter?

I don’t think it is a secret for anyone reading this blog that most of the public policy in this country that has a direct impact on our everyday lives gets decided in our nation’s statehouses. When we talk about funding for education, or roads, or jobs, for the most part, we’re talking about the work of state representatives and senators.

But let’s put that fact aside for a second; say you’re just interested in the federal government. Then let me ask you this: who draws the boundaries for the U.S. congressional districts?

That’s right, our local legislators.

There are 36 state legislatures that control Congressional redistricting, and 27 chambers in 21 of these states are within 5 seats of tying or changing hands.

Those 21 states will decide the fate of 260 Congressional districts.

And by the way, quite a few of those seats in Congress will be held by former state legislators. That’s where many of the country’s elected officials get their start.

Need proof? Well, just four years ago, Barack Obama was serving the people of Illinois in the state senate.

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If you’re invested in seeing this country change, then you have to pay attention to our nation’s statehouses, and this website is about to become your new favorite spot on the partisan web. Every day, we will be writing about the latest redistricting news and policy updates; we’ll give you election analysis and profile Democratic leaders across the country; and of course, we’ll point out the worst Republican misdeeds and respond to GOP attacks.

To make this a success, we’re going to depend on feedback from our readers. There are 12 of us and 50 states, and we can’t be on the ground everywhere, all the time. So drop us a line -- we’ll read every comment that you post and every email that you send.