A redistricting battle sparked by Texas Republicans‘ efforts to redraw the state’s congressional maps, supported by President Donald Trump, is spreading to other states and could reshape the 2026 midterms.
Why It Matters
Democrats and Republicans in Texas are in an escalating fight over the GOP’s efforts to redraw Texas’ congressional map to gain five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives as the midterms loom.
Redistricting is the process by which states redraw or redefine legislative district boundaries on the federal, state and local jurisdiction levels.
Typically, redistricting happens once every 10 years following the census to adjust boundaries based on population changes. Mid-decade redistricting does happen from time to time, however, usually following legal challenges against maps accused of being gerrymandered, or amended in the interests of one side over another to create “safe” electoral seats.
What To Know
The bid by Texas Republicans to redraw the congressional map prompted Democrats in the legislature to leave the state in a bid to deny the legislature a quorum and halt what they see as an illegal bid to win more seats.
Texas GOP lawmakers unveiled the first draft of a new congressional map last week. Republicans hold 25 of 38 seats, and the new map could bring their total districts won in 2026 to 30 if passed.
Under the new map, Texas’s four Democratic-leaning major metropolitan areas—Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio—would be divided among at least four congressional districts each. Nearly all of these districts would have a Republican majority, according to The Associated Press.
Democrats have argued that if Republicans succeed in redrawing districts in Texas, Trump will push other states to do the same, leading Democratic leaders there to warn that they will have no choice but to adopt the same tactic as their party colleagues in the Lone Star State.
California and New York politicians have pledged to fight back by redrawing their own congressional maps to gain more Democratic seats in the U.S. House.
On Monday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said “we are at war” as she was joined by Texas Democrats who left their state to prevent Republican Governor Greg Abbott‘s attempts to redraw the U.S. House map.
Elsewhere, Ohio Republicans are preparing to redraw their congressional lines this fall, with the potential to target up to three Democratic-held seats. In Missouri, the GOP is eyeing a 7-1 map that would eliminate the Kansas City-based district of Democrat Emanuel Cleaver II.
In all, nine states, including Texas, New York and California, have said they are considering redrawing their maps, according to officials in those states and media reports.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, referring to the 2024 presidential election, told CNBC on Tuesday: “I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, at a Monday press conference, said: “If Republicans are willing to rewrite these rules to give themselves an advantage, then they’re leaving us no choice; we must do the same.”
What Happens Next
Legal experts anticipate that any aggressive redistricting moves could prompt court challenges. Historically, lawsuits delayed or overturned redistricting plans when courts deemed them unconstitutional or in violation of the Voting Rights Act.
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