It seems Republicans are getting too large for his or her britches within the Donald Trump-led effort to rig the 2026 midterm elections by redrawing congressional districts to profit the GOP—hubris which will backfire a bit.
On Monday, Utah’s Republican-controlled legislature handed a brand new congressional map that really opens the social gathering as much as dropping two seats within the state’s four-member U.S. Home delegation.
Utah handed the brand new map below orders from a state choose, who dominated in August that the present Republican congressional gerrymander violated a legislation that required the state to make use of a nonpartisan fee when drawing districts.
However somewhat than make one of many state’s 4 seats blue by centering it round Democratic-heavy Salt Lake Metropolis, as proposed by an unbiased redistricting fee, Republicans as a substitute redrew the map to break up Salt Lake Metropolis into two districts, a transfer that ensures that President Donald Trump carried all 4 of the state’s Home seats—albeit by smaller margins than the unlawful map the choose struck down.
But, if a Democratic wave materializes in 2026 amid backlash to Trump and his social gathering’s fealty to his lawlessness, that might trigger Republicans to truly lose two seats, somewhat than only one.
“The map has two seats that Trump carried by about 2 and seven factors, respectively. Such a plan would possibly find yourself being a ‘dummymander’—a scenario when the dominant social gathering attracts a map to favor it that backfires and produces good points for the opposition social gathering,” Geoffrey Skelley, the chief elections analyst on the outlet Determination Desk HQ, wrote a few draft of Utah’s new map.
The brand new map will nonetheless have to be permitted by a choose earlier than it takes impact.
In the meantime, issues are trying good for Democrats in California, the place voters are being requested in a November poll measure whether or not the legislature ought to redraw the state’s congressional maps in response to GOP redistricting efforts in Texas.
Punchbowl Information reported on Wednesday that Republicans seem like falling by the wayside on California’s redistricting combat, believing that Democrats’ efforts to color the referendum as a test on Trump’s energy will lead the poll measure to cross. Polls counsel the measure would cross if the election have been held as we speak.
If the poll measure passes, California’s redrawn map would probably neutralize the good points Republicans are in search of to make in Texas.
What’s extra, Republicans’ efforts to redraw Indiana’s congressional map seem like stalling. GOP lawmakers are getting chilly toes about attempting to axe a Democratic seat, Politico’s Adam Wren reported—a lot in order that the White Home is sending Vice President JD Vance to the state to strong-arm GOP legislators into submission.
Democrats, in the meantime, say that regardless of Republicans’ greatest efforts to gerrymander their strategy to victory, the GOP’s unpopular actions will nonetheless sink its Home majority subsequent November.
“[Trump] is attempting every thing attainable to maintain the Home in 2026. All of the redistricting on the earth isn’t going to assist when the Trump medical health insurance premiums hits,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) wrote Tuesday in a publish on X. “24 Million voters, many in swing districts, are gonna see their insurance coverage prices improve. Good luck Don!”
