Gerrymandering just doesn’t hit like it used to

The redistricting wars made a lot of noise, raised a lot of money, and gave Democrats a message. That moment’s passed.

I’ve spent an unreal amount of time over the years writing about redistricting in North Carolina. Court battles, emergency maps, secret files — you name it.

While it was never something the average voter really cared about, it was a great political tool. It fired up activists, raised gobs of money, and kept a small army of lawyers well-employed.

Entire organizations like Common Cause basically existed to fight it. And every time I publish something critical of the left’s strategy, I still get the emails: “None of this matters — the legislature is gerrymandered and illegitimate!”

That era is now officially over.

Things had already quieted down after the state Supreme Court ruled that partisan gerrymandering is legal — same as the U.S. Supreme Court said at the federal level.

Now that California and Texas are bringing the nation toward a redistricting arms race, the “fair maps” issue is toast.

We won’t be getting new districts again in North Carolina, as our state constitution is pretty cl…