A political choice dubbed “utter insanity” has overshadowed Donald Trump’s administration during the first year of his second term.
The Republican Party’s attempted redistricting across the US this year was criticised by a representative whose district was split up in the process. Rep. Kevin Kiley, a staunch critic of Governor Gavin Newsom, suggested that redistricting across the country, be it in California or Texas, was widely frowned up on “both sides”.
Speaking to Politico, Kiley said, “We’re going to have this rolling redistricting process that makes representation very difficult if districts are constantly changing. I think it is a pretty broadly shared view on both sides, that this is just utter insanity.”
Several states opted to redraw their districts, with California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Utah all successfully passing redistricting measures which are now in effect.
Further states are planning to present redistricting or are not yet ready to put their new plan into effect. Florida, New York, Maryland, and Virginia are all either planning a redistricting or are waiting to enact an approved plan.
A handful of states also had their redistricting attempt rejected, with Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, and South Carolina finding their plans were denied.
Redistricting efforts began in Texas under Trump’s order and have since spiraled from there, with Newsom’s California redistricting formed as a response to the Republican Party changes in Texas.
Some are not convinced the redistricting has been a success for the party. One anonymous ex-lawmaker in Indiana suggested, “You can shake the pinball machine a little bit and sure that helps. But if you hit it too hard, it will go on tilt.”
An unnamed Republican representative for Texas suggested the redistricting plan reported earlier in June was “fraught with tons of land mines”. Others in the party believe relying on redistricting as a method of holding onto a majority highlights a lack of support for the party.
One insider said, “If we are relying on redistricting to hold the majorities, we have bigger issues.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries confirmed the House Democrats had agreed to prevent any gerrymandering that could be seen as a plot to rig the midterms in 2026.
He said, “We decided as House Democrats that we would not let them gerrymander the national congressional map in a way that would rig the midterm elections.”
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