Status Check on Trump’s Nationwide Gerrymandering Assault to Predetermine Control of Congress

For months now, the Trump administration has been aggressively pressuring red states around the country to gerrymander their congressional maps. It’s part of a sweeping and unprecedented scheme for which President Trump has often been a mouthpiece, aimed at making it easier for Republicans to maintain control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterm elections. 

The Trump administration saw some early wins in its pressure campaign, but more recently it has faced a series of significant setbacks that indicate the larger effort may be losing steam.

With the passage in November of California’s redistricting proposal, Prop 50 — designed to offset the impact of Trump’s redistricting wins in Texas — Trump’s scheme faced some actual, tangible pushback. Shortly after the approval of Prop 50, redistricting proposals in both Kansas and Utah fell apart, as well. 

Texas, however, will get to use its new gerrymandered map in the midterms, thanks to the Supreme Court. But, in a surprising turn of events in December, Republican lawmakers in Indiana outright rejected Trump’s redistricting efforts there, a stunning and unexpected display of pushback against Trump’s nationwide bully tactics as he tries to predetermine control of Congress before midterm campaigning has even begun in earnest.

With midterms campaigning expected to heat up in coming weeks, here’s a look at where things stand in the states where Trump has tried to force Republicans to gerrymander mid-cycle, and where Democrats have worked to offset the impact of those efforts. 

Texas

In December, the Supreme Court put on hold a lower court ruling that blocked Texas Republicans’ gerrymander, arguing in its order that the lower court had blocked the maps too close to the 2026 election. Now, the state’s new congressional maps, which are expected to flip Democratic seats for Republicans, can be used in the upcoming election. 

The Supreme Court’s order came after a panel of lower-court federal judges in November enjoined the use of Texas’ new map and ordered it to use its previous map for the 2026 election. In his ruling, District Judge Jeff Brown, a 2019 Trump appointee, argued that that the map was racially gerrymandered. 

Texas was the first red state to succumb to the Trump administration’s gerrymandering pressure campaign, giving momentum to the larger effort to pressure red states across the country to approve new maps mid-cycle.

What the GOP map could do: + 5 seats in the U.S. House for Republicans. 

California

In November, California voters approved a measure that would redraw the state’s congressional district lines. 

The measure, known as Proposition 50, was championed by Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom as a way to offset the impact of Trump’s gerrymandering blitz. 

Prop 50 will change the percentage of Democrats and Republicans in several California congressional districts in order to give Democrats an advantage in Republican-led and swing districts. The measure had to be presented to Californians as a referendum because California has laws in place that require an independent redistricting commission to draw congressional district maps. Newsom sold Prop 50 as a way to get around the commission and fight back against Trump’s blatant efforts to give Republicans more seats in the U.S. House.

The Justice Department along with the California Republican Party has brought a legal challenge against California, arguing that the state’s new map is unconstitutional because it favors Hispanic voters. A panel of federal judges is now reviewing whether or not the new map is constitutional. 

What the Dem map could do: + 5 seats in the U.S. House for Democrats. 

Ohio, North Carolina:

Republican-controlled legislators in Ohio and North Carolina all approved new Republican-drawn gerrymandered maps this year. 

What the GOP maps could do: +3 seats in the U.S. House for Republicans.

Missouri:

Although Missouri’s Republican-controlled legislature approved a gerrymandered map this year, opponents of the map, spearheaded by anti-gerrymandering activist group in Missouri, People Not Politicians, are collecting signatures to approve a referendum to repeal the new maps. 

A lawsuit was filed in December on behalf of voters who oppose the map, arguing that the map should have been suspended after People Not Politicians submitted 300,000 petition signatures. 

As it stands now, the referendum petition has not been certified. 

What the GOP maps could do: +1 seat in the U.S. House for Republicans.

Indiana

For months now, it’s been unclear whether Indiana Republican lawmakers would cave to Trump’s pressure on redistricting. They did not. In a December vote, the Indiana Senate rejected a proposal for a new gerrymandered congressional map.

The proposal, which was defeated in a 31-19 state Senate vote, would have redrawn district lines, giving Republicans an advantage. If approved, it would have potentially removed Indiana Democrats from representation in the U.S. House. 

Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray announced in November that the Senate simply did not have the votes needed to approve the new maps. In response, Trump began threatening Republican lawmakers who refused to bend the knee. 

Only weeks later, Bray announced that the Indiana Senate would, in fact, convene to make a “final decision” on redistricting. On Dec. 11 it made that final decision: to reject Trump’s gerrymandering bullying. 

Utah

In November, a Utah judge rejected a new Republican-favoring congressional map, instead approving a map that creates a safely-Democratic district around Salt Lake City.  

Judge Dianna Gibson said that the rejected gerrymandered map did “not comply with Utah law.”

Utah Republicans may appeal the ruling. 

Kansas

Kansas GOP House Speaker Dan Hawkins shut down gerrymandering efforts on Election Night in November, announcing on the same night Prop 50 was approved in California that Republicans did not have the votes needed to approve new maps. 

Virginia

Democrats in Virginia are still attempting to push through a new congressional map as a way to offset Trump’s gerrymandering assault in red states. 

Democratic Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott told Politico in December that he “won’t be lectured by Republicans while they stand quiet while Trump redistricts Texas, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, but then when it comes to Virginia … they get holier than thou and get sanctimonious.” 

Virginia Democrats hold 6 of the state’s 11 congressional seats. 

Maryland

A Democratic-led redistricting push is underway in Maryland, but it remains unclear if it will be successful. In November, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore announced the creation of a five-person Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission.

“My commitment has been clear from day one — we will explore every avenue possible to make sure Maryland has fair and representative maps,” Moore said in a statement to Maryland Matters. “This commission will ensure the people are heard. I thank those who have raised their hands to lead this process, and I am confident in their ability to gather the views and perspectives of a broad range of voices throughout the state.”

It’s unclear if and how quickly the new effort will move forward. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) recently spoke in favor of the Democratic-led redistricting effort during an interview with Greg Sargent on The New Republic’s “The Daily Blast” where he suggested that Maryland should engage in gerrymandering if Indiana’s new maps were approved, which they, of course, were not. 

“Every seat counts, he said. “I mean, we’re down three seats right now. I mean, this is, you know, we’re like in the trenches in World War One and we’re fighting for every district. Nobody’s got the luxury of saying, ‘Well, we’re above this.’”

On Dec. 18, 2025, the commission made a decision to move forward with recommending new maps. The commission’s chair, Democratic State Sen. Angela Alsobrooks said that the commission will “continue our work to recommend a congressional map to the Governor and the General Assembly.”

Illinois

Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has said that he would pursue a Democratic-led redistricting effort to specifically offset the impact of a gerrymandered map in Indiana. 

Now that Indiana senators have rejected a redistricting proposal, the fate of a redistricting campaign in Illinois remains unknown. 

“None of us want to do it. None of us want to go through a redistricting process. But if we’re forced to, it’s something we’ll consider doing,” Pritzker has previously told NPR.