Former President Barack Obama is ready to make his return to politics – and it’s safe to say the world is ready to have him back.According to Politico, former Attorney General Eric Holder has been in talks with the former president to figure out ways for him to get involved with the new National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which aims to help the Democratic party win back state legislative seats in the 2018 election and beyond. Prior to leaving office, Obama had asked Holder to chair the committee; and now, he’s ready to “be a more visible part of the effort.”
“It’s coming. He’s coming,” Holder said. “And he’s ready to roll.”
The mission of the NDRC is to “build a targeted, state-by-state strategy that ensures Democrats can produce fairer maps in the 2021 redistricting process.” In particular, the committee hopes to combat Republican gerrymandering by providing legal resources to “fight for better maps,” launching targeted ballot initiatives, and campaigning to win “critical state elections that impact redistricting.”
At this time, it’s unclear what role Obama will play in helping the NDRC to achieve these goals – but one can assume that the committee will likely use his popularity with young voters to help reenergize the Democratic party.
“This is really a battle for our democracy,” Holder said. “The notion that people are denied their ability to cast a meaningful vote … is inconsistent with who we say we are, inconsistent with what we say our democracy is about.”
