Multiple States Advance Partisan Mid-Decade Gerrymandering Ahead 2026 Midterms

A nationwide battle over mid-decade redistricting is intensifying, with Republican-led efforts in states like Texas and Missouri aiming to redraw congressional maps to increase GOP power, often at the expense of minority and Democratic voters. President Donald Trump has actively urged Texas Republicans to redraw maps to flip seats from blue to red, sparking similar efforts and countermeasures in other states, including a Democratic push in California to temporarily suspend its independent redistricting commission. Missouri's Republican-controlled House approved a controversial map that could give the GOP control of seven out of eight U.S. House seats, shifting minority voters and prompting accusations of voter suppression and intimidation from Democrats. The Missouri map was criticized as part of a national strategy to rig the 2026 elections, with Democratic lawmakers condemning it as an authoritarian move endorsed by Trump, while some Republicans in Missouri opposed the plan. Meanwhile, Colorado remains an outlier with a constitutionally protected, politically balanced commission aimed at creating competitive districts, reflecting efforts to take politicians out of the redistricting process. This mid-decade redistricting wave marks a return to aggressive partisan gerrymandering last seen during the post-Civil War era, with few political leaders showing concern for voter backlash or democratic norms.