Gerrymanderberger

Yee-Haw

This was drawn for the FXBG Advance.

And over at the Advance’s site, they posted with this cartoon…

Just when you think things can’t get any weirder, Texas decides that it needs to gerrymander its congressional districts (five years before they’re supposed to) even more than they already are to give Trump five more members of the House. It’s a blatant move to ensure Republicans hold the House in 2026, even as Trump’s approval ratings are tanking among the independents who put him into office just a few short months ago. To put the brakes on this blatant injustice, Texas Dems decided to skedaddle to Illinois so the Texas legislature couldn’t establish a quorum and act. Karl Rove argued in the Wall Street Journal this week that Democrats are hypocrites because Illinois is among the most gerrymandered states in the nation (It is). But of the 15 states that the Princeton Gerrymandering Project awards Fs to, just four favor Dems. Nine favor Republicans. Two favor neither party. Now, Democratic states are threatening to retaliate and gerrymander their states to punish Republicans. In short, we’re in a race to the bottom.

But, if that’s where we are, might as well poke some fun at it. And that’s what Clay Jones is doing today. If we’re in a race to the bottom, let’s go all the way!

The most recent poll of the governor’s race released last month by the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University showed Abigail Spanberger leading Winsome Earle-Sears with 49 percent support to the lieutenant governor’s 37 percent among registered voters in the state.

Spanberger was recently a member of the US House, and Earle-Sears is the current Lt. Gov.

Earle-Sears has not led in a single poll this year. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as “lean Democratic.” Ya’ think?

Republicans are now in a panic.

Spanberger has raised over $27 million and currently has around $15 million on hand. Earle-Sears has raised around $11 million, with about $4 million on hand. Republicans know it’s a losing campaign, and a lot of them are saving their money for next year’s midterms, which they’re projected to lose House seats, unless they gerrymander in every red state.

After being asked by CNN’s Manu Raju why Trump hasn’t endorsed her, and if she stands by her 2022 description of him as a “liability,” she cries that the questions were “backward-looking,” and that the interview was a trap.

She doesn’t like being asked about the past while she’s running on her past as a Marine. She said, “They ambushed me to talk about things that are so in the past, when we’ve got to move forward.”

It’s not really an ambush when it’s a scheduled interview.

When asked last week if he would endorse Earle-Sears, Trump said, “I mean, I would. I think probably she’s got a tough race. ... She shouldn’t have, because the candidate she’s running against is not very good, but I think she’s got a tough race. But I would.” Then why doesn’t he? It’s not her race that’s a factor, is it, TACO?

Earle-Sears is a religious zealot who wants to ban abortion, same-sex marriage, legal marijuana, DEI, and Critical Race Theory, which she claims is being taught in Virginia’s schools. She reminds everyone that Virginia was the capital of the Confederacy. I feel the need to remind you that she’s Black.

Abigail Spanberger is progressive, extremely intelligent, and accomplished. What impressed me most about Spanberger when I talked to her was that she talks to you without being pompous. She comes across like she doesn’t think she’s more important or above anyone. She’s very relatable. Even if you were a MAGAt living in a dumpster fire with Trump’s portrait on the wall, it would be hard to dislike her personally. When you talk to her, she looks you in the eye.

I’m looking forward to ending the nightmare of the Glenn Youngkin regime. I’m sure there’s a job waiting for him in the Trump regime, but he may not take it, as he will most likely be a 2028 presidential candidate. That’ll be fun.

Creative note: It was kind of a slow news week, so I figured it was a good week to look at subjects that were statewide, and maybe combine an issue with something national. I succeeded, but not seceded as Earle-Sears would want. HAHA.

Update to the creative note: Today, Jack Ohman reposted his cartoon about the Texas gerrymandering (click the link and scroll down), in which he drew a map of the state of Texas.

He wrote, “One of the hardest things for a cartoonist to draw is a map. I actually freehanded the outline of Texas in this, which is probably the most stressful event of my week. I’m sure it’s a little off. I used to download maps, copy them, and blow them up or down depending on my need. Then I would use my light table to trace it.”

I see nothing wrong with tracing a map, but I think the results tend to be boring. Obviously, the map in today’s cartoon was not traced. I think a better and more loose result would be to trace the map with a pencil, remove your tracing source, then go back over the pencil with a pen, which would make it look looser and more fun.

I don’t own a light table (Jack owns three), but I had one at my last job, which I rarely used. But I can trace in Procreate, but I don’t. However, a lot of cartoonists are tracing in Procreate, and not just maps. They don’t want you to know it. If you’re hiding it, then it’s probably wrong. I know of one cartoonist who traced the Chinese spy balloon. Why? It’s just a circle.

Jack, your Texas looks fabulous. The real Texas, not so much.

Drawn in 30 seconds:

Timelapse:

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