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President Donald Trump is urging Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional maps to add five GOP-friendly House seats, a move that could dramatically reshape the battleground for the 2026 midterm elections.
Speaking Tuesday before departing the White House for a trip to Pittsburgh, Trump said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five,” referring to new winnable districts he expects the Texas Legislature to approve. The comment followed a private call earlier in the day with members of the Texas Republican congressional delegation. According to a source familiar with the call, Trump informed them that redistricting would be part of the upcoming special legislative session.
The push is part of a broader strategy to prevent a repeat of 2018, when Democrats flipped the House two years into Trump’s first term. The redrawing of maps—mid-decade and without the usual trigger of a new census—signals an aggressive Republican effort to cement congressional control while Democrats are largely constrained by independent redistricting commissions in several blue states.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has placed redistricting on the agenda for the special legislative session beginning Monday, citing “constitutional concerns” raised by the Department of Justice.
GOP Aims to Expand, But Risks Exist
Republicans currently hold 25 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats. A five-seat swing would give the party control of nearly 80% of the state’s House delegation—well beyond its 56% share of the 2024 presidential vote in the state. However, some GOP strategists warn that overly aggressive gerrymandering could backfire.
“There comes the point where you slice the baloney too thin and it backfires,” said UCLA law professor Rick Hasen. That caution reflects the party’s 2011 experience, when an aggressive map unraveled during the 2018 Democratic wave.
Still, Texas Republicans appear eager. “This is something that we can do, and something that we should do,” said State Rep. Brian Harrison, a former Trump administration official.
Sen. John Cornyn added that with Latino voters trending Republican, redistricting presents a “significant opportunity” for GOP expansion.
Democrats Scramble for Options
Democrats are bracing for the consequences of the Texas redraw but have few direct ways to retaliate. In states like California, Michigan, and Colorado, redistricting is handled by independent commissions established to prevent partisan gerrymandering.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom floated the idea of repealing the commission system or arguing for a mid-decade map revision, but acknowledged both would be long shots. “Two can play this game,” Newsom posted online, though admitted Democrats have “a weaker hand,” according to Michael Li of the Brennan Center for Justice.
Legal challenges remain one of the party’s main tools. Democrats are litigating GOP-drawn maps in Wisconsin, Utah, and Florida. A pending Supreme Court case out of Louisiana could also affect the broader rules on race-based district protections under the Voting Rights Act.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized Trump’s redistricting push as “an attempt to undermine free and fair elections,” adding, “What Republicans are trying to do in Texas is to have politicians choose their voters.”
Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, warned that GOP efforts could actually increase the number of competitive seats. “This scheme to rig the maps is hardly going to shore up their majority. It is going to expand the battleground,” she said.
Special Session Amid Crisis
The special session convenes against the backdrop of tragedy, as Texas continues to recover from floods that killed at least 132 people. Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, whose Austin district may be impacted by redistricting, called the timing “an act of desperation.”
Republicans in other states, including Ohio, are also considering mid-decade redraws. Ohio GOP leaders are weighing a new map that could increase their congressional advantage to 13-2 from the current 10-5.
Though mid-decade redistricting is rare, it is not prohibited under federal law. With Trump applying pressure and Republican majorities in several legislatures, a broader GOP redistricting wave may follow.
