Earlier this year, Democrats – still stinging from REDMAP’s success – responded with a group of their own, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. The committee, led by former Attorney General Eric Holder, is raising funds and backing party candidates where it sees a chance to exert more control.

Its first significant move was two donations totaling $750,000 to Virginia’s Democratic Party to help elect Northam.

Kelly Ward, the committee’s executive director, called Gillespie the “architect of gerrymandering around the country” and a prime contributor to legislative gridlock in Washington.

“We think this is one of the fundamental problems with our democracy right now,” Ward said, adding that their goal is to get “fairer maps” by electing more Democrats and getting the public more directly involved in monitoring redistricting.

Read more: The Virginian-Pilot, Oct. 14, 2017