A push by Texas Republicans to redraw congressional maps to secure five more GOP seats in the U.S. House has kicked off a no-holds-barred battle between blue and red states, each threatening to redraw their own House seats.
The process of changing congressional maps in a bid to ensure one party’s victory over another — called gerrymandering — has typically been done more furtively, with parties fearing a backlash from voters wary of a rigged system.
But President Donald Trump’s call for Texas to blatantly redraw the maps to better ensure that Republicans retain control of the House in the 2026 elections has blown the lid off of the practice: gerrymandering, once a feared accusation, has now become a battle cry.
That’s whipped up fear of an unending tit-for-tat redistricting, and pushed lawmakers, including some Republican representatives from Democratic states, to publicly decry the proposals.
Here are the states now considering early redistricting.
Texas kicked it off, but Democrats left the state
Dozens of Democrats left Texas in a Hail Mary to halt a vote on redistricting, leaving the legislature without enough lawmakers present — called a quorum — to proceed.
Democrats, who didn’t show up for a third day Wednesday, wouldn’t have the votes to stop the bill otherwise.
In response, Gov. Gregg Abbott and fellow Republicans are threatening the Democrats who left with arrests, fines and removal from office.
The state Attorney General Ken Paxton warned he could ask the courts to vacate their seats if they don’t show up when the House convenes on Friday. Trump and Texas Sen. John Cornyn also asked the FBI to get involved.
Still, past efforts by Democrats to abscond and deny Republicans a quorum only delayed the passage of bills, but didn’t quash them.
Lawmakers from across the country have rallied behind the Texas Democrats. Many gathered outside the Massachusetts statehouse Wednesday, comparing themselves to the colonists who…