Trump and GOP Launch Nationwide Redistricting Blitz to Lock Down House Power in 2026

President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers have mounted an unprecedented nationwide effort this year to redraw congressional maps, seeking to shore up the party’s razor-thin House majority ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Democrats have launched their own counteroffensive, triggering a wave of redistricting battles — in statehouses and in the courts — that will shape the political landscape and help determine control of Congress.

The latest flashpoint came in Indiana, where the state House passed a new map designed to unseat the state’s two Democratic members. The proposal now heads to the Senate, though the chamber’s GOP leader has said it lacks the Republican support needed to pass despite heavy pressure from Trump and Gov. Mike Braun. CNN is tracking the new maps and will update developments as they unfold.

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In a major victory for Republicans, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a lower court’s order blocking Texas from using a map that could create up to five additional GOP-leaning districts. The ruling means Texas can implement the new map for the midterms.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has sued California over its newly enacted Democratic-drawn map, which aims to counter GOP gains in Texas by helping Democrats flip as many as five Republican-held seats. California voters overwhelmingly approved the map earlier this month.

Redistricting — the decennial process of redrawing congressional districts based on census data — is normally a once-in-a-decade affair. But with the House at one of its narrowest margins in modern history, both parties are treating mapmaking as a critical tactical weapon in the midterms.

Each state follows its own rules. In some, legislatures alone can redraw the map with enough political will. Others require constitutional changes or voter-approved amendments, a far slower and more complicated path.

Overall, Republicans hold more opportunities to gain seats because they control far more state governments. Many Democratic-led states have shifted map-drawing authority to independent commissions — a reform some Democrats are now seeking to undo as the GOP ramps up its efforts.

The year 2025 has already seen an extraordinary surge of mid-decade, politically driven redistricting. And the fight may intensify even further. Numerous lawsuits are underway to overturn existing maps, and the U.S. Supreme Court could soon weaken key provisions of the Voting Rights Act — a move that would open the door to even more aggressive redistricting nationwide.

Joseph Johnson

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