Read the story here.

Republicans are getting a surprise assist as they seek to strengthen their hold on the House — from Democrats.

With the GOP controlling much of redistricting this go-around, some Democrats are forging unholy alliances, working hand in hand with Republicans to pass maps that ensure their own protection — even if it means threatening their party’s prospects as a whole.

It’s a reality that underscores the every-man-for-himself nature of the once-in-a-decade redistricting process, in which politicians fight for survival, often at the expense of their closest allies.

In Pennsylvania, a trio of Democrats — Reps. Jason Altmire, Mike Doyle and Robert Brady — helped rally support from Democratic state legislators to pass a GOP-drafted congressional remap even though it shored up more than a half-dozen vulnerable Republicans and guaranteed that at least one Democrat would lose a seat. Altmire wrote a letter to statehouse members to “respectfully ask for your support of the new map as drawn.”