From Wall Street Journal:

Lost amid the GOP’s takeover of the House was a series of wins in much smaller races that could collectively have a broader impact on whether the party controls Congress for the next decade: Republicans won control of 17 statehouse chambers on Tuesday; Democrats didn’t win a majority in a single state-level chamber currently controlled by Republicans.

The statehouse sweep gives Republicans a much stronger hand in drawing new congressional districts beginning next year.

As a result of the once-a-decade Census, some states lose some representation in Congress — and others gain seats — based on their populations. After the most recent Census, states such as Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania are expected to lose one of their seats in the U.S. House, while Texas, North Carolina, Florida and others will gain seats.

Drawing new districts to accommodate the changes is always politically messy. That’s because a congressional district can easily swing from a Republican district to a Democratic one by cutting out a minority neighborhood or roping in a wealthy suburb.

Republicans say they picked up nearly two dozen House seats after the 1990 Census by drawing districts that favored Republicans and hurt Democrats.

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