The White House wants more states to redraw House maps to help GOP. Democrats are readying a fight

The White House is eyeing redistricting efforts beyond Texas to help Republicans hold the U.S. House in 2026 — and Democrats are preparing to escalate in response, with one senator vowing to go “nuclear” if needed.

What’s shaping up to be a multistate redistricting battle could mark the opening round for House control ahead of next year’s midterms, when Democrats see retaking the House as the party’s best chance to break Republicans’ hold on Congress. President Donald Trump is determined to keep the GOP’s majority.

Democrats, under pressure from their base to match GOP tactics, have grown more forceful in their messaging and are taking concrete steps to push back, even as the party enters at a disadvantage.

“If they’re going to go nuclear, then so am I,” said Sen. Elissa Slotkin. “They’re forcing us into this position because they’re trying to pick their voters.”

At Trump’s urging, Texas Republicans are looking to redraw congressional maps to favor GOP candidates during a 30-day special legislative session. Trump says he wants to carve out five new winnable GOP seats.

But Trump officials are now going beyond Texas, looking to redraw lines in other states such as Missouri, according to a person familiar with conversations but unauthorized to speak publicly.

Democrats have fewer options. More of the states the party controls do not allow elected partisans to draw maps, instead entrusting groups such as independent commissions to draw fair lines.

Still, party leaders are exploring their legal options and shifting their posture.

“We can’t fight with one hand behind our backs,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters Tuesday.

Dems explore map plans

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries might have fewer options to match Republicans, but it hasn’t stopped him from exploring them.

Jeffries’ team spoke with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office about redistricting after the news in Texas, according to a person familiar with the conversations. Drawing new congressional lines now could run afoul of the state constitution and undoubtedly draw legal challenges — but it doesn’t appear to be off the table.

“What I’m going to say is, all is fair in love and war,” Hochul said July 24, adding that she’s “going to see what our options are.”

Jeffries and his advisers also examined legal strategies in other states with Democratic trifectas, including California, where he recently met with the state’s congressional delegation.

The California delegation’s Democrats recently discussed the redistricting issue during a private meeting on Capitol Hill. On July 24, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi joined an emergency call with others in the state about the effort.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Pelosi said she is not a fan of using redistricting outside of the 10-year window, but if that’s what the party needs “to win, we will do that.”

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, a potential Democratic contender for president in 2028, took a similar approach. He said on social media in response to Trump’s redistricting push that “two can play this game.”

An independent commission handles redistricting in his state. Newsom floated the notion of California’s Democratic-controlled legislature doing a mid-decade redistricting, arguing it wouldn’t be expressly forbidden by the 2008 ballot initiative that created the commission. He also mentioned the possibility of squeezing in a special election to repeal the popular commission system before the 2026 elections get underway, either of which would be a long shot.

A push back

Beyond the behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Democrats see the redistricting fight as an opportunity to meet the moment politically — delivering the kind of aggressive pushback their voters demanded.

Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, in a series of social media posts, encouraged Democrats to fight back, saying the party should “gerrymander to help Democrats” and arguing they should dilute heavily Democratic districts to secure more seats “everywhere.”

“It’s time for Democrats to understand the existential threat. Republicans aren’t playing around and they will do this as long as it takes to keep power,” he warned.

Gallego later told The Associated Press it’s simply about ensuring “that we’re also fighting back.”

In a statement to AP, Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, called Republicans’ moves “cheating,” adding that the group would be “using every single tool at our disposal to fight back and stop Donald Trump’s scheme to steal the 2026 midterm elections from voters.”