These states could redistrict before the 2026 midterms
Texas has proposed a map that would likely give Republicans five new House seats, and at least six other states are potential targets for mid-decade tweaks to congressional boundaries ahead of the midterms. California was the second state to produce a new map, countering the GOP shifts in Texas with five more seats favorable to Democrats.
But implementing new maps is easier said than done. Many states are bound by laws that dictate when and how redistricting can happen. States typically draw new district lines once a decade, after each census, or if a map is struck down in court. There's also a tight timeline to get changes into place before the midterms in 2026. Republicans hold a 219-212 House majority, with four vacancies, and any change to the congressional map could determine which party controls the 119th Congress.
Here's a look at some of the potential targets and the steps involved to change political boundaries in these states.
The redistricting battle began with Texas, where Trump originally pressed Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to draw a new congressional boundaries with more safely red seats. The state legislature has control over drawing district boundaries, so the governor called a special session in early August to create and vote on a new map. The resulting proposed map would give Republicans five potential pickups in the House.
A majority of the state's Democratic lawmakers broke quorum by leaving the state, delaying a vote on the new map. Republicans subsequently kicked off a second special session after the first session ended Aug. 15, and most Democrats that fled the state returned to Texas on Monday. Republicans have since introduced two additional map tweaks, and the legislature is expected to pass the latest map proposal this week.
Republicans currently control 25 of Texas's 38 House seats. The new map is more partisan — each of these new districts saw double-digit vote margins in the 2024 presidential election, so none will be considered especially competitive. Two Democratic House members from Texas — Rep. Henry Cueller (D) in the 28th District and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D) in the 34th — currently represent districts that split the ticket and favored Trump in 2024. Each of those districts were redrawn to shift further to the right.
California was the second state to jump into the redistricting battle. In response to the potential Republican pickups in Texas, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and state Democrats have proposed a new map that would potentially turn five House seats blue, evening the score with the actions in Texas.
But implementing any new maps off-schedule in California won't be as easy as in Texas. The state normally uses an independent commission for redistricting, which was put in place to make map drawing less political. Without using the independent commission, Democrats need permission from voters before they can establish new lines, but Newsom has said the state would only move forward with the new map if Texas uses their proposed map. State lawmakers are expected to vote this week on scheduling a Nov. 4 special election for voters to decide on the maps.
The current map in California is deeply blue, with Democrats holding all but nine of the state's 52 House seats. But many of the districts are considered competitive. In 2024, the presidential vote margin in 15 congressional districts was ten points or less. The map introduced by Democrats shifted most of the state's competitive districts toward the left.
Vice President JD Vance visited GOP-controlled Indiana earlier this month to discuss redrawing its congressional map, which could net Republicans one more seat.
State law limits congressional map drawing to the first legislative session after the decennial census; however, Republicans have a supermajority in the state legislature and could easily change the law. GOP state lawmakers have seemed hesitant to shake up the state's political boundaries, but increased pressure from the White House could shift their stance.
The most vulnerable seat is likely in the 1st District, which includes the edges of suburban Chicago. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan (D) won reelection there by eight points in 2024, but the district favored Harris by less than half a percentage point.
Redistricting is already on the table this year in Ohio, as the state is required to create a new congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Congressional maps in Ohio must be approved by a supermajority in the legislature, but neither party has been able to agree on new map since the state supreme court struck down the map drawn after the 2020 Census. In 2022, the Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted a map that could only be used until 2026.
The timing in Ohio couldn't be better for Republicans pushing to pick up more House seats ahead of 2026. Three of the state's Democratic-controlled districts had single-digit vote margins in the 2024 presidential election. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D) and Rep. Emilia Strong Sykes (D) are likely the most vulnerable in any new maps, as both won by narrow margins in 2024.
Illinois jumped into the redistricting story when Gov. JB Pritzker (D) invited Texas House Democrats to stay in suburban Chicago after they left their state stall the Republicans redistricting efforts.
Pritzker has been vocal about the redistricting battle nationally, and Illinois state lawmakers have full control of the map drawing process. But the impact of any map changes could be limited here — Democrats hold 14 out of 17 House seats, and the map is already carved largely in Democrats' favor.
Republicans are considering Missouri as a possible target for redistricting ahead of 2026. The legislature could introduce new maps in September during their annual veto session.
State Republicans may try to squeeze an additional red seat by carving up the 5th District, currently held by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D). This solid blue district, which includes Kansas City, heavily favored former vice president Kamala Harris in 2024.
Carving up Kansas City for a new GOP seat would leave only one solid blue district in Missouri — the 1st District around St. Louis. That is a majority-minority district and protected by the Voting Rights Act.
Florida's congressional map has already shifted in favor of Republicans in recent years. The GOP picked up four additional seats after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) pushed state lawmakers to redraw the map in 2022.
Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez (R) told state lawmakers he is creating a 'select committee' on congressional redistricting, and a few more districts could shift toward the GOP. But the state constitution has a 'Fair Districts' amendment that says districts cannot be drawn to favor a political party, and any changes to the map could be challenged in court. Five congressional districts had 2024 presidential vote margins within 10 points, and all of those seats are held by Democrats.
Maeve Reston, Patrick Marley, Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez contributed to this report. Data analysis by Lenny Bronner. Presidential results for the proposed new districts are from a Washington Post analysis of 2024 precinct election results and data from Redistricting Partners.
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Jamel Bishop is seeing a big change in his classrooms as he begins his senior year at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where cellphones are now banned during instructional time. In previous years, students often weren't paying attention and wasted class time by repeating questions, the teenager said. Now, teachers can provide 'more one-on-one time for the students who actually need it.' Kentucky is one of 17 states and the District of Columbia starting this school year with new restrictions, bringing the total to 35 states with laws or rules limiting phones and other electronic devices in school. This change has come remarkably quickly: Florida became the first state to pass such a law in 2023. Both Democrats and Republicans have taken up the cause, reflecting a growing consensus that phones are bad for kids' mental health and take their focus away from learning, even as some researchers say the issue is less clear-cut. 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Social media use clearly correlates with poor mental health, but research can't yet prove it causes it, according to Munmun De Choudhury, a Georgia Tech professor who studies this issue. 'We need to be able to quantify what types of social media use are causing harm, what types of social media use can be beneficial,' De Choudhury said. A few states reject rules Some state legislatures are bucking the momentum. Wyoming's Senate in January rejected requiring districts to create some kind of a cellphone policy after opponents argued that teachers and parents need to be responsible. And in the Michigan House in July, a Republican-sponsored bill directing schools to ban phones bell-to-bell in grades K-8 and during high school instruction time was defeated in July after Democrats insisted on upholding local control. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, among multiple governors who made restricting phones in schools a priority this year, is still calling for a bill to come to her desk.
