Fact check: Have republicans tried to ban gerrymandering

1. Summary of the results

The evidence shows a mixed picture regarding Republican efforts to ban gerrymandering. While most sources indicate that Republicans have generally opposed national anti-gerrymandering measures, there are specific examples of individual Republican lawmakers taking action against the practice.

Individual Republican efforts include:

• California Republicans Assemblyman Carl DeMaio and Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher have spoken out against gerrymandering, with DeMaio stating that "Gerrymandering is wrong no matter who's doing it, whether it's done by a red state or a blue state" ^[1]
• California Republicans introduced a resolution calling for a constitutional amendment requiring nonpartisan commissions for redistricting ^[1]
• Rep. Kevin Kiley introduced a bill in Congress to ban mid-decade redistricting nationwide, which would prevent states from redrawing congressional districts until after the next census ^[1]

However, at the national level, the pattern is different. California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that "Democrats have voted for national independent redistricting. Republicans have not" ^[2]. The analyses confirm that some Republican state lawmakers have supported independent redistricting commissions in the past ^[2], but this support has not translated into consistent party-wide action.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks important nuance about the difference between individual Republican actions and party-wide positions. Several key contextual elements are missing:

• Both parties engage in gerrymandering when it benefits them politically ^[3]
• Some states already have independent and nonpartisan commissions to draw congressional district lines ^[3]
• Republicans in various states, such as Texas, are actively trying to redraw congressional district lines to benefit their party ^[4]
• The timing and political context matter significantly - Republicans may support anti-gerrymandering measures when they're disadvantaged by current maps but oppose them when they benefit

Who benefits from different narratives:

• Democratic leadership benefits from portraying Republicans as uniformly opposed to redistricting reform to build support for federal legislation
• Individual Republican politicians in heavily gerrymandered Democratic states benefit from supporting reform to appear principled
• Advocacy organizations like the Brennan Center benefit from highlighting partisan gerrymandering to build support for reform legislation ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself is not misinformative but is overly simplistic. It implies a binary yes/no answer when the reality is more complex:

• The question doesn't distinguish between individual Republican efforts versus party-wide positions
• It doesn't account for the strategic nature of anti-gerrymandering positions - politicians often support reform when it benefits them and oppose it when it doesn't
• The framing misses that both parties have engaged in gerrymandering historically ^[3]

The evidence shows that while some Republicans have indeed tried to ban or limit gerrymandering, this has been primarily individual efforts rather than coordinated party action. The broader Republican Party has generally opposed national redistricting reform measures, as confirmed by sources noting that Republicans voted against independent redistricting in 2021 ^[2] and have benefited from gerrymandering in various states ^[5].