Rep. Malliotakis: Both Political Parties Wrong to Gerrymander

Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York said she doesn't support the Texas GOP's move to redraw congressional districts and that politically gerrymandering the political map stifles voters' voices

The Texas House of Representatives approved a new state congressional map backed by President Donald Trump, capping a weeks-long political standoff and boosting Republicans’ chances of keeping control of the US House in the 2026 midterm elections.

The redistricting proposal passed easily in the GOP-dominated House, where a vote had been delayed after Democrats left Texas and deprived the chamber of the minimum number of lawmakers required for proceedings. The walkout ended earlier this week when the Democrats returned, vowing to battle the new map in court once Republican Governor Greg Abbott signs it into law.

The revamp of Texas’ congressional districts mushroomed into a national spectacle and prompted threats by Republicans and Democrats to redo the maps in states they control.

Leading the charge for Democrats is California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is pitching a new congressional map that potentially could give Democrats five additional seats in the House to compensate for the five lost in Texas. Newsom’s plan is expected to pass the state legislature, where Democrats hold supermajorities, but it would need to be approved by voters during a special election held in November.

But Republicans still hold an advantage nationally if they decide to redraw maps in their favor. In addition to Texas, Republicans have the potential to make gains in Ohio, where the current maps are expiring after four years under state law because the GOP enacted them without Democratic support. Republicans already hold 10 of 15 districts in Ohio, where they continue to dominate state government. Republicans could also try to squeeze out additional districts in Missouri, Indiana and Florida.

New York Democrats can't redraw their map until the 2028 election at the earliest, and doing so would require a constitutional amendment. Illinois Democrats already have an aggressive gerrymander in place. And other Democratic states have redistricting commissions.

When do courts get involved in redistricting?

The US Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that federal courts have no constitutional authority to throw out voting maps for being too partisan. But state courts sometimes do get involved. Some legal challenges against maps adopted after the 2020 census are still pending, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

In states where judges are elected, political and legal considerations can collide. One example: In 2022, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that a map drawn by the Republican-majority state legislature to favor the party in 10 of 14 congressional districts was so partisan it violated the state constitution. A lower court imposed an interim map that produced a 7-7 split in that year’s congressional elections. But Republicans captured a majority of seats on the state Supreme Court in that same election, and in April 2023, the reconstituted court effectively green-lit the legislature to implement Republican-friendly lines in time for the 2024 election. Republicans won 10 seats (and nearly captured an 11th), a three-seat net gain that helped them defend their slim majority in the House of Representatives.

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