Efforts to redraw U.S. House districts for partisan advantage are spreading to more states ahead of next year's elections.
Lawmakers in three states have approved new congressional districts since President Donald Trump began pushing for mid-decade redistricting.
The trend began in Texas, where the Republican-led Legislature passed a plan backed by Trump. California Democrats responded with their own map to help their party, though it still requires voter approval.
On Sunday, Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a revised congressional map into law.
Redistricting typically occurs once a decade, immediately after a census. But in some states, there is no prohibition on a mid-cycle map makeover. The U.S. Supreme Court also has said there is no federal prohibition on political gerrymandering, in which districts are intentionally drawn to one party’s advantage.
Nationally, Democrats need to gain three seats next year to take control of the House. The party of the president typically loses seats in the midterm congressional elections.
Missouri Plan Seeks to Help Republicans Win One More Seat
Missouri lawmakers passed a revised U.S. House map that could give Republicans a better shot at winning seven of the state’s eight congressional districts — one more than they currently hold. But opponents are pursuing a referendum petition that, if successful, would force a statewide vote on the new map. Opponents also have filed several lawsuits.
The map targets a seat held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver by stretching the Kansas City-based district into rural Republican-leaning areas and reducing the number of minority voters.
Texas Democrats Walked Out but Republicans Prevailed
Democratic state House members left Texas for two weeks to scuttle a special session on redistricting by preventing a quorum needed to do business. But after that session ended, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott quickly called another one — and Democrats returned, satisfied that they had made their point and that California was proceeding with a counter plan.
Republicans hold 25 of the 38 congressional seats in Texas. A revised map adopted in August is intended to give Republicans a shot at picking up five additional seats in next year’s elections.
California Democrats Seek to Counter Texas
Democrats in California are preparing to counter the Republican push in Texas. With the state’s geographical divisions at play, California hopes to defend its existing seats and gain advantageous positions for upcoming elections.
Additional State Updates
Indiana, Kansas, Utah, and more states are in various phases of redistricting discussions and actions, reflecting the political urgency among both parties as they vie for control of congressional representation overtime.
