Five more additional congressional seats carved in gerrymandering to favor Republicans in Texas could be the difference for Republicans to maintain their congressional majority in the 2026 midterms. The stakes are high which could put Democrats out of power for another two years and potentially risk a sequel to Trump’s horrific “Big Beautiful Bill.”
Democrats accuse President Donald Trump of influencing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to redraw Texas congressional map of the state that would boost the party’s chances of gaining “five” more seats. Redistricting happens every 10 years, but it’s only been five years — the midway mark – which fueled further suspicion, “why now?” President Donald Trump stated that Republicans are “entitled to five more seats” in Texas during a recent interview.
Democrats believe Trump is looking to avoid a repeat of his first term, when Democrats flipped the House at the midpoint and stalled his agenda from advancing through Congress. This time around he wants Republican-led states to redraw their congressional districts to ensure the GOP remains in power in 2026.
Trump influenced or not, by the time this editorial is published, it’s most likely that the state-majority at the Texas legislature and Republican governor would have approved this measure. As of press time, Texas state democrats are out of Texas denying the quorum needed to hold a vote on the new map. In the Texas House of Representatives, two-thirds of its 150 members must be present to reach a quorum. But Gov Abbott has vowed to call special sessions repeatedly to address redistricting issues, saying that Democrats will not be able to wait out the push to redraw congressional lines.
National response
Republican majority states like Ohio and Florida have already floated plans to also redraw district lines to favor Republicans. To counter the red usurpation of power, Democrat-majority states have been forced to counter. Democratic leadership in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, and Illinois said they’re ready to redistrict and counter-balance any potential red-state gains through super-gerrymandering.
The huge development is what’s unfolding in California, the congressional delegate rich state with leadership announcing they also plan to respond to Texas’ gerrymandering. The cascade effect could ultimately work against Gov Abbott’s plan to hand over to Trump and congressional Republicans a majority.
California Gov Gavin Newsom indicated that California would redraw its congressional lines to ensure more Democratic representation if Texas tilts its map to the right. Newsom said that California could call a special session to consider these changes. He stressed the need for fairness in the redistricting process as a way to protect democracy.
Newsom said, “In response to the existential realities that we’re now facing …. Whatever they are doing will be neutered here in the state of California. It’s cause and effect, triggered on the basis of what occurs or doesn’t occur in Texas.”
Fight fire with fire
Partisan political redistricting (racial redistricting is illegal) or gerrymandering is not new but this unexpected move by Texas must be met with at least equal representation in blue states.
Democrats would be committing political suicide by not acting and “staying on the high road” – which at this point is a lofty ideal. What Texas is doing is nothing short of a power grab (endorsed by Trump) that could hurt the entire country in terms of damaging the integrity and fairness in our democratic processes.
Democrats point to North Carolina’s sudden redistricting before the last midterm elections that gained three additional Republican congressional seats which could have been the difference between having a House Speaker Mike Johnson or House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, and the difference between Trump getting his Big Beautiful Bill passed or rejected.
Clearly, allowing one side to subvert fairness as in the last midterm must not go unanswered. Reasoning that years-long legal challenges and public pressure over illegal voter suppression are no longer enough to keep up with the GOP’s power trip, Democrats are now saying.
Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul said New York is prepared to draw up new maps in her state. “All’s fair in love and war. This is a war. We are at war,” she said. “And that’s why the gloves are off, and I say, ‘Bring it on.’ Americans don’t want a system that’s stacked against them. They believe in fairness, it’s fundamental,” she added. Hochul’s office is exploring to disband the independent redistricting commission through a constitutional amendment in response to Texas’ efforts.
Partisan toxicity or saving democracy
It’s a shame that political partisanship has gotten to this state where bipartisan redistricting will most likely be a practice of the past, at least as long as Trump is in office. Some idealists look at the Democrats’ plans to engage in tit-for-tat as a race to the bottom and it will further erode American democracy.
But a better way to look at it is that the Democratic response to Texas’ cheating the system is preserving democracy as long as Democrats will do exactly as Republicans do, no more or no less.
As the political dynamics change, Democrats must consider both defensive strategies and proactive measures to ensure fair elections in the midterms. They must find a right balance to maintain their anti-gerrymandering reforms as what they’ve been doing but at the same time respond to the realities of blatant rigging of a system like what’s playing out in Texas.
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