LOCALIZE IT: Redistricting efforts across US at Trump’s prodding continues
EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
President Donald Trump’s desire to secure the Republican majority in Congress has prompted an unusual burst of mid-decade redistricting in multiple states.
North Carolina is the latest to take action. The Republican-led General Assembly approved changes Wednesday to U.S. House districts designed to help the party unseat a Democratic incumbent.
Texas was the first to answer Trump’s call to redraw its congressional districts for the GOP’s advantage ahead of next year’s elections. Democrats in California countered with their own redistricting effort, followed by Republicans in Missouri. Virginia Democrats are taking steps toward redrawing districts, and other states are considering joining the redistricting battle.
U.S. House districts typically are redrawn once a decade, immediately after a census. But some states have no rules against redistricting more frequently than that. And the U.S. Supreme Court has said there is no federal prohibition on political gerrymandering, in which districts are intentionally drawn to favor one party.
The stakes are high, because Democrats need to gain just three seats in the 2026 elections to take control of the House, which would allow them to impede Trump’s agenda. Historically, the president’s party has lost seats in midterm elections, a fate Trump is trying to avoid.
The redistricting efforts have triggered protests, petition drives, ad campaigns and lawsuits.
View details below on states in the redistricting battle and on this AP map. The embed code for publishing the map can be found at the end of the guide.
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READ AP’S LATEST STORIES
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What to know about the mid-decade redistricting effort unfolding in states at Trump’s prodding
Fight over new US House districts in California could turn on advertising edge in closing days
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STATES WHERE LEGISLATURES HAVE PASSED NEW MAPS:
TEXAS
Federal judges in Texas are considering a legal challenge to new congressional districts passed at Trump’s urging during a special legislative session in August. Civil rights groups and dozens of Black and Hispanic voters contend the new map intentionally reduces minority voters’ influence in violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution. They want to prevent the new districts from being used.
Republicans hold 25 of the 38 congressional seats in Texas. The revised map could give Republicans a shot at picking up five additional seats in next year’s elections.
CALIFORNIA
Voting has begun in California in advance of a Nov. 4 election that will determine whether new congressional districts are implemented.
Democrats already hold 43 of California’s 52 seats. But after Texas undertook redistricting, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom urged California lawmakers to reciprocate. They did so by passing a revised U.S. House map that could give Democrats a chance to gain five additional seats.
Unlike Texas, California has an independent citizens’ commission that handles redistricting after the census. So any changes to the map need voter approval.
MISSOURI
After Texas and California took action, Missouri lawmakers joined the redistricting battle by passing a revised U.S. House map designed to give Republicans a shot at winning seven of the state’s eight districts — one more than they currently hold. The map targets a seat held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver by stretching the Kansas City-based district into rural Republican areas and reducing the number of minority voters.
Opponents are pursuing a referendum petition that, if successful, would force a statewide vote on the new map. They have until Dec. 11 to submit around 110,000 valid signatures, which would put the map on hold until a public vote. Opponents also have filed several lawsuits asserting that mid-decade redistricting isn’t allowed under the state constitution.
NORTH CAROLINA
A new congressional map given final approval by the Republican-led General Assembly reshapes the state’s only current swing district, held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis, by adding more Republican-leaning voters along the coast and shifting some inland voters into an adjacent Republican-held district.
The GOP already controls 10 of the 14 House districts in North Carolina, a state Trump won by 51% last year. Davis won last year by less than 2 percentage points.
The revised districts cannot be vetoed by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, though Democrats or civil rights groups are likely to bring a legal challenge.
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STATES THAT MUST REDRAW U.S. HOUSE DISTRICTS:
OHIO
Ohio will have new U.S. House districts for the 2026 elections, though their shape remains to be determined. Republicans currently hold 10 of the state’s 15 congressional seats.
Ohio’s constitution requires new U.S. House districts because the ones adopted by Republican officials after the 2020 census didn’t have sufficient bipartisan support. If bipartisan consensus remains elusive, Republican lawmakers in November could adopt revised districts without need of any Democratic votes.
UTAH
Utah’s Republican-led Legislature passed a revised U.S. House map that could give Democrats an improved chance at competing for a seat. Republicans currently hold all four of the state’s seats.
The revised map would place Democratic-leaning Salt Lake City in a single district that stretches into rural areas, instead of splitting the city among multiple districts. But the revision still must be reviewed by a judge, who is expected to approve a new map by November.
A Utah judge in August struck down the House districts adopted after the 2020 census because the Republican-led Legislature circumvented an independent redistricting commission established by voters.
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STATES CONSIDERING MID-DECADE REDISTRICTING:
FLORIDA
Republican state House Speaker Daniel Perez has said his chamber will take up redistricting through a special committee. Republicans currently hold 20 of the state’s 28 seats. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has reiterated his support for the state to join the redistricting fray.
ILLINOIS
Democrats already hold 14 of the 17 U.S. House seats in Illinois. But Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker has said it’s possible to redraw even more districts favoring Democrats.
INDIANA
Pressure from Trump to redraw House districts has been mounting on Indiana Republicans. Gov. Mike Braun, a Republican, said a legislative session on redistricting probably will happen, but Republican lawmakers still don’t have enough votes.
Republicans hold a 7-2 edge over Democrats in Indiana’s congressional delegation. The GOP likely would target a northwest Indiana seat held by Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan. Republicans also could attempt to slice up an Indianapolis district held by a Democrat, but that could stir opposition by diluting minority voters’ influence.
KANSAS
Republican lawmakers who hold a supermajority in the Kansas Legislature have been gathering petition signatures from colleagues in an attempt to call a special session on congressional redistricting in November. They are taking that route because Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is unlikely to call a special session.
Republicans already hold three of the state’s four congressional districts. A revised map would target the suburban Kansas City district held by Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids.
LOUISIANA
Lawmakers are meeting in a special session called by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry to consider changes to next year’s election schedule. Republicans are trying to position the state for redistricting, in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the state’s current congressional map.
During recent arguments, the court’s six conservative justices seemed inclined to effectively strike down a Black-majority district in Louisiana because the districts relied too heavily on race. Such a ruling could upend a central provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, opening the door for lawmakers in Louisiana to eliminate majority Black districts that tend to favor Democrats.
MARYLAND
Some Democratic state lawmakers have said they will file redistricting legislation for the 2026 session, and Democratic Gov. Wes Moore also has expressed support. Democrats control seven of the state’s eight U.S. House seats and could target an eastern Maryland district held by Republican Rep. Andy Harris.
NEBRASKA
Republican Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has expressed support for redistricting, though it remains tough to ensure enough Republican votes in the officially nonpartisan Legislature. Republicans already hold all three of the state’s U.S. House seats but are looking to shore up a competitive district that includes Omaha.
NEW YORK
New York has an independent commission that redraws districts after every census. State Democrats have introduced legislation to allow mid-decade redistricting, but the soonest new maps could be in place would be for the 2028 elections. That is because the proposal would require an amendment to the state constitution, a change that would have to pass the Legislature twice and be approved by voters.
VIRGINIA
Democratic lawmakers are taking a first steps toward redrawing their state’s U.S. House districts by convening in a special session. Virginia currently is represented six Democrats and five Republicans who ran in districts imposed by a court after a bipartisan redistricting commission failed to agree on a map after the 2020 census.
Because Virginia’s redistricting commission was established by a voter-approved constitutional amendment, any proposed amendment would first have to be approved by the legislature in two separate sessions and then placed on the statewide ballot.
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NEW GERRYMANDERING COULD DISRUPT NATIONAL POLITICAL EQUILIBRIUM
The push to redraw districts for partisan advantage — a process known as gerrymandering — is unfolding during a time of unusual political balance in Congress.
The 220-215 House majority that Republicans won over Democrats in the 2024 elections aligns almost perfectly with the share of the vote the two parties received in districts across the U.S., according to a recent Associated Press analysis.
Although Democrats and Republicans each benefited from the way districts were drawn in particular states, those advantages essentially canceled each other out. When adding results from all states, the AP’s analysis showed that Democrats nationwide won just a fraction of a seat more than expected last year. Because congressional seats aren’t allotted by fractions, the net result was that each party’s share of House seats corresponded with their share of the votes.
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CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS
— If your state has undertaken or is considering congressional redistricting, talk to voters in districts that could be affected. Do they think their views are represented well by the current districts? What issues are most important to them? What do they think of the revised districts?
— If your state legislature has voted on U.S. House redistricting, how did you local representative and senator vote? Did they follow the party line or break ranks? Ask them why they voted as they did.
— Is redistricting something that resonates in your community? Are residents even aware of what congressional district they live in? Where do district lines rank in their list of concerns and policy priorities? Have citizen activists or party loyalists been rallying support or participating in protests against the possibility of redistricting?
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READ ADDITIONAL AP COVERAGE
Democrats look to long term as North Carolina GOP redistricting plan seeks another seat for Trump
More states are moving to redraw US House districts after Trump urged it for partisan gain
Democrats could have a slight shot at flipping a US House seat in Utah under a new congressional map
Missouri Senate passes Trump-backed plan that could help Republicans win an additional US House seat
California Gov. Newsom signs legislation calling special election on redrawn congressional map
Texas lawmakers give final approval to redrawn congressional map favoring GOP, send to governor
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EMBED THIS GRAPHIC
Which states are considering redistricting?
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