GOP Campaign Chief: Redistricting ‘Locked In’ Our House Majority

The chief of the House Republicans’ campaign arm said Friday that redistricting in the wake of the 2010 elections — when the GOP made huge gains on the federal and state level — “locked in” the party’s House majority.

National Republican Committee Chair Greg Walden (R-OR) said the re-drawing of districts has created a “more intense playing field” and predicted that Republicans may win 10 or 11 House seats in the November midterm elections.

“You had, in ’06 and ’10 and ’94, a pretty big collection of members in the other party’s seats. That all got kinda washed out. Then after 2010 and the big huge gain we got, our gains were locked in by redistricting,” he told reporters at a breakfast for reporters in Washington, hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.

“Now, Democrats locked in some of theirs, too. We painfully know that in Illinois and a few places. And we lost some seats and they lost some seats. But it’s really a pretty narrow playing field,” he said, in response to a question from TPM. “And as a result, the races that are there, the majority tilts our way… And that’s why we have an opportunity to pick up 10, 11 seats.”

Walden said Republicans will easily hold their House majority and win seats. “It’s really a debate about how many seats the Republicans will pick up,” he said.

The GOP campaign chief admitted that Republicans “have more work to do” when it comes to winning over women voters, an area of strength for the Democrats.