A handful of states have positioned themselves entrance and middle in a nationwide redistricting battle after Texas took an uncommon step to do mid-decade redistricting and advance a friendlier map for Republicans forward of the 2026 midterms.
The Lone Star State’s map, which Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed into regulation on Friday, has prompted pink and blue states alike to contemplate redrawing their very own maps. California is the one state to this point to tee up a possible new Home map forward of subsequent yr in response, the place voters will weigh in November whether or not to go new congressional strains.
The redistricting tit-for-tat can have main implications for which occasion controls the Home – and whether or not President Trump may see a test on his energy in Congress.
Right here’s the place key states stand on redistricting:
Texas
The GOP-led state legislature in Texas handed a brand new set of congressional strains this month, with the intent of giving Republicans the possibility to choose up 5 seats within the midterms – an effort that was pushed by Trump and the White Home.
Abbott signed the map into regulation on Friday, however a number of organizations have already sued the state over the congressional maps, arguing that the map is unconstitutional and violates the Voting Rights Act.
A federal courtroom has already scheduled dates for a preliminary injunction listening to in one of many lawsuits, which is able to run from Oct. 1 by means of Oct. 10.
California
California lawmakers superior a brand new set of congressional strains aimed toward neutralizing anticipated beneficial properties from Texas’ new map, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signing the invoice.
The brand new Home map will go earlier than voters in a particular election in November, the place a easy majority is required in an effort to enact the map earlier than the midterms.
The California Supreme Court docket has rejected two challenges by Republicans over the brand new Home map, however President Trump has mentioned he intends to sue over them.
Ohio
The Buckeye State was initially the one state anticipated to redraw its congressional maps this yr after the Home map utilized in 2022 didn’t obtain bipartisan assist.
Republicans will probably be eyeing the possibility to redraw Democratic Reps. Marcy Kaptur’s and Emilia Sykes’ seats to make them much more GOP-friendly. Kaptur’s seat is already Republican-favored, having gone for Trump by near seven factors in 2024 whereas Sykes’ district evenly cut up their votes between Trump and former Vice President Harris.
Republicans may additionally attempt to redraw Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman’s seat, although his will possible be more durable to vary given the seat consists of Cincinnati.
The method to redraw the maps will start within the coming weeks. The state legislature will get the primary go at drawing the congressional strains, the place lawmakers want to achieve a sure threshold of bipartisan assist in every chamber in an effort to go a brand new map, with a deadline of Sept. 30.
If the state legislature can’t go their Home map with bipartisan assist, the method is kicked over to the Ohio Redistricting Fee, which will get the possibility to attract a map, with a deadline of Oct. 31. If the fee is unable to go the map with out bipartisan assist, the state legislature will get one other go at drawing the map, which should be handed by Nov. 30.
If the Home map receives sufficient bipartisan assist within the state legislature to go, it’s used for the following decade. If the congressional strains don’t obtain sufficient bipartisan assist, they’re solely in place for 4 years.
Indiana
The White Home has been pushing for Indiana state lawmakers to redraw their Home map, with Vice President Vance touring to the Hoosier State earlier this month and later citing the subject with them once more throughout their latest go to on the White Home.
President Trump reportedly spoke with high statehouse leaders as properly. Whereas some Republicans initially against the concept of redistricting have since come round, statehouse leaders and Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) have been noncommittal to this point.
Braun is trying to statehouse leaders to see what sort of assist redistricting has among the many members.
Missouri
The White Home has additionally been urgent high leaders in Missouri to redraw their map, and on Friday, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) introduced he could be calling a particular session to convene beginning Sept. 3 to contemplate redrawing the state’s Home map.
“This is about clarity for voters and ownership of our future, and I hope the legislature will work together to pass our Missouri First Map and critically needed IP reform,” Kehoe mentioned in a press release, with a press launch together with a Home map his workforce made to be thought of by state lawmakers.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) within the state’s fifth Congressional District is most susceptible right here. However Republicans must be cautious in how they draw their map given the GOP finally nixed a plan in 2022 to attract a 7-1 map over issues it may endanger some Republicans.
Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signaled the Sunshine State ought to rethink its Home map forward of 2026, and lawmakers are beginning to take some steps in that path.
Florida state Home Speaker Daniel Perez (R) introduced earlier this month that he could be making a choose committee on redistricting – a transfer that got here a couple of month after the Florida Supreme Court docket upheld the state’s present map, which reconfigured former Rep. Al Lawson’s (D-Fla.) district, with three GOP lawmakers now holding elements of Lawson’s outdated district.
It’s unclear precisely when lawmakers wish to meet and finally go a brand new Home map, although Perez famous that he would announce in September the members who could be included within the choose committee.
Utah
The Utah Supreme Court docket delivered Democrats a win this month when it ordered the state to not use the congressional map the state handed in 2021.
It additionally decided {that a} poll measure handed in 2018, which mandated the creation of an unbiased redistricting fee and was later repealed and changed with a fee that was structured otherwise, was the regulation in Utah.
The state Supreme Court docket advised lawmakers that it wanted to redraw its map in compliance with the 2018 poll initiative by Sept. 24. A listening to on the maps will probably be scheduled in mid-October.
The excessive courtroom’s determination is probably going to present Democrats one pick-up alternative within the Beehive State.
Louisiana
Louisiana was required to create a second Black-majority district within the final election cycle after the Supreme Court docket cleared the best way for the state to redraw its map following a Supreme Court docket case taking part in out in Alabama.
The Supreme Court docket was anticipated to challenge a ruling over the congressional strains this summer time after a gaggle of “non-African American voters” sued over the brand new map, however in an uncommon transfer, introduced in June it could be rehearing the case. Oral arguments are scheduled for Oct. 15.
The query the Supreme Court docket is specializing in is “whether the State’s intentional creation of a second majority-minority congressional district violates the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.”
The state is urging for the excessive courtroom to successfully throw out its present map, saying in a supplemental transient filed on Wednesday that the courtroom ought to decide that “the intentional creation of a second majority-minority district in” the congressional map “is unconstitutional.”
“…the Court has assumed, but never decided, that race-based redistricting in the name of compliance with Section 2 of the VRA is constitutional,” the submitting argues. “It is not for two independent reasons. First, race-based redistricting is categorically unconstitutional because it violates fundamental equal protection principles. Second, it fails strict scrutiny. Either way, race-based redistricting is unconstitutional.”
Alabama
One state to observe within the broader redistricting battle will probably be Alabama. A 3-judge panel earlier this month ordered the state to make use of the map that Alabama used in the course of the 2024 cycle, which was created by a particular grasp and established a second Black-majority Home district, for the rest of the last decade.
In a submitting after the three-judge panel handed down its determination to make use of the congressional strains drawn by a particular grasp, Alabama Republicans mentioned they have been interesting that call to the excessive courtroom.
Illinois
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) and Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) have left the door open to doubtlessly redrawing the Prairie State’s Home map, although there was little motion publicly but.
Democrats maintain 14 of the 17 Home seats within the district – a map that already offers a heavy partisan benefit to Democrats and which has been rated poorly by redistricting specialists on partisan equity and competitiveness.
Illinois and Maryland have simpler paths to redrawing their maps because the states solely have to go new maps by means of the state legislature and are topic to the governor’s signature or veto.
Newsom has put strain on states like Illinois and New York to start taking over redistricting in their very own states.
Maryland
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) mentioned final week that he’s actively redistricting in his state, saying “all options are on the table.”
Maryland’s Home Majority Chief in July proposed laws that may enable the state to do mid-decade redistricting if one other state initiated redrawing their maps first.
Redistricting the state is difficult sufficient given the Maryland congressional delegation consists of seven Democrats and one Republican.
However Democrats would have to be particularly cautious in making an attempt to redraw their map given the one Democrats appeared to make use of within the 2022 cycle – which primarily would have created eight Democratic-favored districts — was struck down by a courtroom over partisan gerrymandering.
New York
Lawmakers within the Empire State have already launched laws that may amend the state Structure to permit legislators to redraw their map if one other state engages in mid-decade redistricting.
New York Democrats would wish to go that constitutional modification in two consecutive legislative periods earlier than it goes to voters for a vote, that means the Empire State wouldn’t be capable to redraw its maps forward of 2026 however may achieve this within the 2028 cycle.
