 States that have undergone mid-decade redistricting prior to the 2026 elections. Stripes indicate states where redistricting is anticipated but not finalized. Voluntary redistricting enacted Voluntary redistricting blocked by court Court-ordered/mandatory redistricting Redistricting challenge rejected | |
| Date |
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| Location |
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| Cause | Benefiting political parties in the2026 United States House of Representatives elections, constitutionally or court-mandated redistricting |
Beginning in July 2025, several states have redrawn or are in the process of redrawing theircongressional districts ahead of the2026 United States House of Representatives elections. These efforts mark one of the largest coordinated attempts to redraw congressional districts between decennial censuses in modern American history.
It began whenTexasgerrymandered its congressional map to benefitRepublicans at the behest of PresidentDonald Trump. Republican-led statesMissouri andNorth Carolina soon followed by passing new congressional maps with the aim of gaining more Republican seats. Meanwhile,Democratic-led states began the process of gerrymandering their own congressional maps to counter Republican gains.California was the first among these, passing an amendment (Proposition 50) to be presented before voters and if approved would redraw the state's congressional map.Virginia andMaryland followed and announced the process to redraw their districts as well.
Additionally, the state ofOhio was required to redraw its districts since the previous map did not receive bipartisan support in the state legislature as required by theOhio Constitution. Likewise,Utah was required to redraw due to theUtah Supreme Court striking down the current map as an unlawful partisan gerrymander.
Since the beginning ofDonald Trump'ssecond presidency, he has wanted to protect the narrow Republican US House majority in the 2026 midterm elections to prevent Democratic gains in the House, which would hamper his administration's ability to carry out its plans.[1]The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had called on the Republican leadership in the state of Texas to redistrict the state's legislative boundaries in order to draw more Republican leaning districts.[2] The plan elicited concern from some Texas Republicans, who argued that it could hurt incumbent Republicans.[3]
As the plan began to take action, reporters asked Trump how many Republican-led states would be redistricted; Trump replied with "four of them".[4]
On July 9, 2025, Texan GovernorGreg Abbott called for a special session of the Texas Legislature to discuss redistricting.[5]
The action was expressed as an action after a letter from theUnited States Department of Justice citing a need to remedy supposedly racially discriminatory districts in the current congressional map.[6] The action received backlash from Democrat leaders includingKen Martin and began talks to discuss a response to the proposed redistricting, including the possibility of Democratic state representatives walking out of the session to delay the process.[7]
The first special session began on July 21. However, a new map was redrawn in the session as state Democrats vowed to prolong the redistricting effort and walked out of session preventing quorum from being reached in the state house.[8] On August 18, the special session had expired, and state Democrats returned to the state after viewing the prevention of a new map in the first session and the national coverage of the incidents a "victory".[9]
A second special session was called on August 18 by Abbott, and a proposed congressional map drawing 5 new Republican-leaning districts passed both the state house and senate and was signed on August 29, 2025.[10]
On November 18, 2025, a federal court inEl Paso, Texas ruled that the maps consisted an illegal racial gerrymander, and as a result, barred their use in the 2026 midterms.[11][12] On November 21, theU.S. Supreme Court approved a request filed by Texas to temporarily block the lower court ruling.[13]
Multiple Democratic leaders, includingHakeem Jeffries, began to push California GovernorGavin Newsom to respond to redistricting in Texas by redrawing California's congressional districts; however, the state's use of an Independent Redistricting Commission was the primary obstacle to achieving the goal.[14] To bypass the commission, the state house and state senate passed an amendment putting a referendum on the November ballot to redraw the state's districts. The new congressional map made 5 Republican districts and several competitive districts much more Democratic to offset the gains made by the Texan map.[15] The measure was subsequently approved by voters, enacting the proposed redistricting plan.[16] Following the vote, theCalifornia Republican Party filed a federal lawsuit against Governor Gavin Newsom andSecretary of StateShirley Weber, alleging that the new maps violate theVoting Rights Act by favoring Latino voters and asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent Proposition 50’s maps from going into effect.[17] TheU.S. Justice Department has joined the California Republican Party's lawsuit.[18]
After the new map was passed in Texas, Trump began to pressure Republican leaders in Florida,Indiana, Missouri,Nebraska, andNew Hampshire to have discussions on new congressional maps.[19] Obstacles emerged in some states, such as in Nebraska, where a two-thirds majority is needed to pass a new congressional map.[20] While in New Hampshire, GovernorKelly Ayotte stated she was opposed to redrawing the state's congressional maps mid-decade, freezing the efforts in that state as well.[21]
However, in Missouri, GovernorMike Kehoe announced a special session on August 29, 2025, to redraw the state's congressional districts and placeKansas City DemocratEmanuel Cleaver in a much more Republican-leaning district.[22] TheMissouri House of Representatives voted to advance the new map that would give Republicans another seat, which was approved in theMissouri Senate, where it also advanced. The new map was signed into law by Kehoe on September 28.[23]
In October, North Carolina Republicans led in the state legislature.Destin Hall andPhil Berger introduced a plan to redraw North Carolina's congressional map to makeDon Davis's seat much more Republican, allowing Republicans to net gain a seat in their state. The measure passed both theState House andState Senate and became law, as it did not require Democratic governorJosh Stein's signature.[24]
In late October, Democratic leaders in Virginia announced a process to redraw their state's congressional maps before the 2026 midterms in retaliation for the new map passed in North Carolina. Virginia, similarly to California, has a commission to redraw their state's congressional districts, and Virginia state leaders are proposing an amendment next spring to bypass the commission and approve a new congressional map, gaining Democrats 3 to 4 seats.[25]
In October 2025, Indiana GovernorMike Braun called for a special legislative session to begin November 3 to redraw the state's congressional maps.[26] This comes after weeks of communication with the Trump administration, including visits by Vice PresidentJD Vance, over the possibility of strengthening the partisan advantage in the state.[27] This push has been met with resistance from legislative Republicans, particularly in theIndiana Senate.[28] On November 14, Indiana Senate leaderRodric Bray announced there were not enough Republican votes to move forward with the redistricting process.[29] On November 18, the Senate voted to adjourn until the next regular session in January 2026.[30][31]
President Donald Trump threatened to support the primary opponents of any republican who did not support the redistricting effort.[32]
On November 4, 2025, Maryland GovernorWes Moore announced the formation of the Governor's Redistricting Advisory Commission, tasked with holding public hearings and providing recommendations for a new congressional map. The creation of the commission signaled an effort by state Democrats to consider redrawing Maryland’s congressional boundaries ahead of the2026 United States House of Representatives elections, potentially to offset Republican gains in other states. However, the move has created divisions within the state's Democratic Party. State Senate PresidentBill Ferguson has expressed opposition to mid-decade redistricting, warning that the effort could invite legal challenges or ultimately cost Democrats seats. The five-member commission, chaired by U.S. SenatorAngela Alsobrooks, also includes two gubernatorial appointees and two legislative leaders or their designees. The commission is expected to present its recommendations to the governor and theMaryland General Assembly by the end of 2025.[33][34]
In July 2023, inLeague of Women Voters v. Utah State Legislature, theUtah Supreme Court heard arguments alleging that the Utah Legislature violateda citizen-passed anti-gerrymandering proposition by dividing Salt Lake County voters into all four of Utah's districts. The case was sent back to a state district court, which held a hearing on January 31, 2025. A ruling for the League of Women Voters was issued on August 25, and new maps were expected to be drawn up by the Legislature by September 24 and finalized by November. On October 6, the Utah Legislature passed a new map, which changed 2 Republican districts to be more competitive. However, on November 10, Utah Third District Judge Dianna Gibson ruled that the new map also violated Proposition 4, opting to approve a plaintiff-submitted alternative, Map 1, which creates a safe Democratic district comprising a majority ofSalt Lake County.
In Florida, GovernorRon DeSantis has been receptive to the idea of redrawing the state's congressional maps, andBen Albritton, president of theFlorida Senate, announced a redistricting commission to begin the process.[35] In Kansas, Republican leaders in the state legislature approved the budget for a special session on redistricting. However, the process was stalled as Republican lawmakers did not have enough votes to begin the process.[36]
Meanwhile,Hakeem Jeffries has been urging the states ofIllinois andMaryland to pursue new congressional maps as part of a broader Democratic strategy to counter Republican redistricting gains.[37] In Maryland, GovernorWes Moore and House SpeakerAdrienne A. Jones have expressed openness to examining potential changes, particularly regarding the state's sole Republican-held seat, but legislative leadership has remained cautious. State Senate PresidentBill Ferguson reiterated his opposition in an October 2025 letter to colleagues, arguing that mid-decade redistricting could undermine the state’s legal standing and public trust.[38] In Illinois, state legislative leaders have been skeptical of redrawing their congressional lines, arguing it isn't possible, although Jeffries has continued to lobby for action.[39] GovernorJB Pritzker emphasized that any decision on whether Illinois should redraw its congressional map would depend on Indiana’s actions, noting that the state was “watching what Indiana does” before considering any response.[40]
InColorado, a constitutional amendment has been proposed which would give the governor (currently DemocratJared Polis) "emergency redistricting authority" ahead of the2028 elections. The proposed law would be triggered if "substantial evidence exists that one or more states have enacted congressional redistricting plans that result in severe partisan imbalance."[41]
InNew York, a lawsuit has been filed against the current congressional maps. While the lawsuit is about potential racial gerrymandering, it could allow the state legislature to draw more favorable maps to the Democratic Party, potentially netting 4 to 5 seats. Governor Kathy Hochul previously pledged to get New York involved in the redistricting conflict as well.[42]
InSouth Carolina, members of the state legislature have advocated to redraw the state's congressional districts to disfavorJim Clyburn, the state's sole Democratic representative. However,Davey Hiott, the Majority Leader of theSouth Carolina House of Representatives, has said the state will not redistrict.[43]
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