A lesson learned: Democrats plot route to Washington through statehouse races

The U.S flag and the Texas State flag fly over the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, U.S., March 14, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

(Reuters) - Even as the presidential election dominates the country's attention, Democrats have spent record-breaking sums this year on winning seats in state legislatures, 10 years after a Republican wave gave that party the power to reshape U.S. congressional maps.

Democrats have poured tens of millions of dollars into state-level contests to oust Republican lawmakers ahead of 2021, when state legislatures will draw new boundaries for U.S. congressional districts in many states. The redistricting follows this year's decennial U.S. census, the results of which will determine how many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives.