GOP considers map manipulation to keep majority

Republicans are trying to circumvent their sinking popularity by gerrymandering their way to a House majority in 2026.

The White House has reportedly pressured lawmakers in Texas, Ohio, Florida, and Indiana to redraw congressional maps in ways that dilute Democratic voting power—helping Republicans to keep their slim majority in Congress.

“This is a five-alarm fire for voting rights and democracy across the entire country,” Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) told The Nation. “In my view, this is the biggest threat to our democracy right now that nobody’s talking about.”

In Texas, Republicans have already convened a special legislative session to begin the redistricting process with the explicit goal of securing five additional Republican U.S. House seats. One of the drafted maps would put the cities of Lubbock and San Antonio in the same district—despite being 350 miles apart.

Democrats in the Texas legislature are now considering fleeing the state—a move that would deny Republicans the quorum necessary to conduct legislative business. Under state law, however, each Democrat would be fined $500 for every day they’re absent. The fines cannot be paid with campaign contributions.

House Majority PAC and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) are both planning to put resources towards rallying Texas voters to oppose the gerrymander.

“Right now, we have the fairest national congressional map this country has seen since its inception, and it’s a map that allows both parties to compete for the House majority,” said NDRC president John Bisognano. “If they move forward with Trump’s plot, there will be an immediate surge of lawsuits to achieve justice for Texans.”

Ohio was already scheduled to redraw congressional maps this year, but Republicans have been explicit about wanting the process to net them one to three additional seats. 

The state currently has 15 districts, five of which are represented by Democrats. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) told Punchbowl News that he would like to see Democratic seats reduced to three. This would result in Republicans controlling 80% of the House seats in a state that Trump won with 55% of the vote.

Ohio Republicans could also use the redistricting process to pad support for GOP Reps. Mike Turner and Mike Carey, both of whom the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting next year.

Ohio Republicans control the legislature and the governor’s mansion, giving Democrats little recourse to fight the gerrymander.

“The Republicans have this level of single-party control in the state precisely because they have drawn maps that favored themselves,” said House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn.

Florida traditionally redraws its congressional maps every 10 years following the census. The next redrawing is scheduled for 2030, with the maps taking effect in 2032. But Gov. Ron DeSantis now says it “would be appropriate to do a redistricting in the mid-decade” and that his administration was “working through what that would look like.”

DeSantis presided over the drawing of the state’s 2022 map, which eliminated a majority-Black district and gave Republicans four new seats in Congress. The map has faced multiple legal challenges but was recently upheld by the conservative majority on the Florida Supreme Court.

“This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to rig the system and silence voters before the 2026 election,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said on July 25.

The White House is reportedly now urging Indiana to call a special session for redistricting, with the goal of picking up one to two seats. It is not clear whether Gov. Mike Braun will heed the call.