Fact check: How many seats have Republicans gerrymandered in congress since 2008

1. Summary of the results

The analyses reveal that none of the sources provide a specific numerical answer to the question of how many seats Republicans have gerrymandered in Congress since 2008. However, the sources do offer some relevant quantitative insights:

• Republicans currently have approximately a 16-seat advantage due to gerrymandering in the battle for the chamber ^[1]
• Only 1 in 10 districts nationwide are competitive due to gerrymandering practices by both parties ^[1]
• Current redistricting efforts show Republicans seeking to gain 5 additional seats in Texas ^{[2] [3]} and potentially 5 more in Florida ^[4]
• Other Republican states including Missouri and Ohio may follow similar redistricting strategies ^[5]

The sources focus primarily on ongoing and future redistricting efforts rather than providing historical data since 2008, making it impossible to answer the original question with precision based on the available analyses.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question frames gerrymandering as exclusively a Republican practice, but the analyses reveal significant Democratic gerrymandering efforts that are absent from the question:

• California Democrats under Gov. Gavin Newsom are planning to gerrymander congressional districts to produce at least five more Democratic members ^[6]
• Multiple states controlled by both parties are engaging in redistricting battles, including New York and Illinois on the Democratic side ^[3]

The analyses also reveal that gerrymandering is a bipartisan practice affecting the overall competitiveness of elections nationwide. The question's focus solely on Republican gerrymandering omits the broader context that both major political parties benefit from and engage in redistricting manipulation when they control state governments.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains inherent bias by focusing exclusively on Republican gerrymandering while ignoring Democratic gerrymandering efforts. This framing suggests that gerrymandering is a uniquely Republican problem, which contradicts the evidence showing both parties actively engage in redistricting manipulation ^{[6] [3]}.

The question also assumes a specific number exists that can be definitively attributed to Republican gerrymandering since 2008, but the analyses demonstrate that measuring gerrymandered seats is complex and sources don't provide such historical tallies. The practice involves subjective determinations about what constitutes gerrymandering versus legitimate redistricting.

Additionally, the question's timeframe of "since 2008" may be misleading since major redistricting typically occurs after each decennial census ^{[7] [8]}, and the analyses focus primarily on current redistricting battles rather than historical counts spanning nearly two decades.