Democrats have signaled they’re ready to jump into a redistricting arms race after President Donald Trump pushed Republicans to skew Texas’ congressional districts to favor the party in the 2026 midterms.
Republicans in the state are set to begin redrawing its congressional maps this week, in an effort to eke out as many as five new winnable seats for their party as the president looks to thwart Democrats from flipping the House next November.
It is a sign of how vulnerable House Republicans are in the upcoming midterms, as they hold just a three-seat majority.
Democrats have branded the move as an attempt to “rig” the system. Rep. Jennifer McClellan of Virginia on Monday warned Republicans need to understand “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” and that Democrats won’t let them “change the rules of the game and not respond.”
And House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also indicated Democrats are ready to respond in kind in blue states.
“We continue to have conversations with the state delegations, whether that’s in California or New York or beyond, to explore what the opportunities and possibilities are in order to make sure the congressional map in 2026 is as fair as possible,” Jeffries said on Monday.
Jeffries, like other Democrats, is grappling with how to move forward—the party has tried to paint itself as supporting proportional maps, but in the face of what they have called blatant cheating by Republicans, some are changing their tune.
Jeffries admitted the maps in his home state of New York are not as balanced as they could be during an appearance on CNN over the weekend, but he argued Democrats are committed to fairness when possible.
At the same time, he deferred to state delegation leaders—and added that would not speak for a state like California where Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom indicated he would fight fire with fire.
“Trump said he’s going to steal five Congressional seats in Texas and gerrymander his way into a 2026 win. Well, two can play that game,” Newsom said on Pod Save America last week.
“Special sessions. Special elections. Ballot initiatives. New laws. It’s all on the table when democracy is on the line.”
Earlier this month, Trump publicly pushed for Texas to amend its maps, telling reporters that “just a simple redrawing” would result in the five seat GOP gain, while hurting the chances of Texas Democrats seeking re-election.
How states redraws districts is largely left to their legislatures; while some, like in Texas, continue to draw their congressional maps, other have created independent or political commissions to redraw their districts.
Beyond California, other Democrat-controlled states including Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington could also move to shift their districts in an effort to flip seats from red to blue in response to the Texas effort, according to CNN.
Democrats also point to North Carolina as a state Republicans have already gerrymandered to help them stay in the majority.
Prior to the 2024 election, North Carolina’s congressional delegation reflected court-ordered maps and was split evenly seven-seven. After maps were redrawn by the Republican-controlled Assembly, however, the state sent a delegation with ten Republicans and four Democrats to Washington in 2024. Without the change, Democrats believe they would have won the House.
While it’s not typical for state legislatures to redistrict mid-decade, it’s becoming more common. Ohio’s maps were only temporarily valid for 2022 and 2024, for example, stemming from a legal fight, so it will be redistricting this year.
It is also not the first time Republicans in Texas have moved to redistrict mid-decade. In 2003, Republicans in the state were able to redraw districts during a series of special sessions which yielded a 21 to 11 GOP delegation in the 2004 election, widening their majority.
Texas Democratic Reps. Marc Veasey and Lizzie Fletcher have introduced the Anti-Rigging Act, legislation seeking to ban mid-decade redistricting unless required by courts, but it’s not expected to pass. Both have indicated they support Democratic party leaders looking to redraw maps in other states in response to Texas.
Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, has also vowed that if Republicans go down the redistricting path, the DNC will give them a showdown.
“When Texans are hurting and suffering after this flooding, Greg Abbott and Donald Trump are using this crisis to try to steal political power. We are not going to let them do that, and guess what? I think a few Democratic governors might have something to say about that,” Martin said on MSNBC.
Any redistricting arms race will be extremely expensive and a short turnaround ahead of next year’s midterms, but there is also the reality that the GOP’s efforts in Texas could also backfire.
If Republicans push to squeeze out these extra seats, it means they would likely have to dilute already safe red seats by adding Democratic voters to the districts. (The same could be said of blue districts if Democrats respond in kind.)
Jeffries on Monday pointed to this vulnerability as Democrats weigh their response. He dubbed it a “dummymander” in a state already drawn to help Republicans.
