Rand Paul Fears Politicized Redistricting May Lead to ‘More Violence in Our Country’

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) stopped NBC News’s Kristen Welker in her tracks Sunday when he suggested that aggressive political redistricting could lead to “more violence in our country.”

Welker began by asking, “President [Donald] Trump is threatening to primary all of the Indiana lawmakers who voted against his redistricting plan and the new map that would have benefited Republicans. Do you support Republicans trying to redraw maps mid-decade?”

Paul answered that there’s been a dangerous escalation on both sides.

“I think that it’s going to lead to more civil tension and possibly more violence in our country. Because, think about it — if 35% of Texas is Democrat, solidly Democrat, and they have zero representation — or like in my state, we’re a very Republican state, but we have one Democrat area in Louisville, and we have a Democrat congressman. We could carve up Louisville and get rid of that one congressman, but how does that make Democrats feel? I think it makes them feel like they’re not represented.”

“I have to follow up with you because what you’re saying is significant,” Welker said. “You are concerned that redistricting could lead to more political violence?”

“I am concerned if there are no representatives, like no Republican representatives in California or no Democrats in Texas, that it will be so thoroughly one-sided that people will feel like their vote isn’t counting.”

Paul continued:

And so, I think it’s a mistake. But I’m not saying it’s a mistake of the Republicans. I’m saying it’s a mistake of both parties and I don’t know exactly how we de-escalate this. Because once Texas is done and changed five seats to be Republican, California’s going to do the same thing, and it’s back and forth and back and forth. And how do you put the genie back in the box? I mean, how do you get back to detente? I mean, how do you do something better? But I think there is the potential that when people have no representation, that they feel disenfranchised, that it can lead and might lead to violence in our country.

Watch the clip above via NBC News’s Meet The Press.