All articles tagged with #gerrymandering
Florida's redrawn map clusters Broward Democrats into a new 20th district that's 42% Black, forcing Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz to run in a race with Black challengers and sparking debate over Black representation in Congress as opponents accuse the map of diluting minority power; Wasserman Schultz argues her experience and position on key committees let her represent the diverse district.
Democrats see a path through Texas’ new map that added GOP seats by targeting heavily Hispanic South Texas, arguing that despite the redder districts, down‑ballot results and Latino turnout could tilt the races in Cuellar’s, Gonzalez’s and several challengers’ favor. Republicans caution that district lines don’t predict outcomes and warn Latinos may shift back to the GOP, especially amid immigration crackdowns that have disrupted labor in farming and construction. Democrats are leveraging border-policy discontent and economic concerns at events with local builders and community leaders, noting that March primaries showed rising Democratic turnout in the region, though success will hinge on whether Latino voters stay with Democrats or return to the Republicans in these border districts.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins declined to certify a referendum petition aimed at forcing a statewide vote on the new congressional map, calling it unconstitutional and leaving the Missouri First map in effect; supporters plan to challenge the ruling in court.
Republican state Sen. Rick Brattin won Missouri’s newly drawn 5th District GOP primary, boosted by a Trump endorsement and Gov. Mike Kehoe, setting up a likely November race against Democrat Emanuel Cleaver in a district redrawn to favor Republicans. In Michigan, the high‑profile Senate contest remains tight as Abdul El‑Sayed leads Haley Stevens, fueling progressive worries about margins; nearby, William Lawrence won the MI‑07 Democratic primary to challenge GOP Rep. Tom Barrett. Other notable results include Wesley Bell’s Missouri 1st District primary win over Cori Bush and Kansas voters rejecting a measure to alter abortion rights protections. Centrist Blue Dogs are expanding endorsements to counter the progressive wing, underscoring ongoing intra‑party tensions as Democrats eye November battles.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, a Republican, refused to certify a ballot referendum to overturn the state’s gerrymandered congressional map, blocking a vote despite more than 300,000 signatures. He argued the Missouri Constitution does not authorize a referendum on congressional redistricting, signaling a likely legal battle as supporters vow to sue. The map, nicknamed Missouri First Map, was drawn last year to favor Republicans by splitting Kansas City into three districts.
Maryland Democrats opened a special session to advance a constitutional amendment they say would insulate future redistricting from court challenges, even as they redraw districts to potentially reduce Republican representation (Rep. Andy Harris). Any new map would not take effect until 2028. The amendment would clarify that compactness/boundary rules apply to legislative, not congressional, districts, a move critics say could enable gerrymandering; voters must approve the change in November. Gov. Wes Moore supports moving ahead, but Senate President Bill Ferguson warns against rushing due to legal risk.
As of 100 days before the 2026 midterms, Democrats are favored to retake the House but not by a large margin: current ratings give them around 205 seats to 211 for Republicans with about 19 toss-up races. Even sweeping all races where Democrats are favored, plus leaners and toss-ups, would yield roughly 233 seats— shy of 235 from the post-2018 peak. A true 40-seat blue wave would require an exceptional performance across all swing districts. The generic-ballot lead (~6.3 points for Democrats) suggests a likely, not explosive, advantage, aided by a Democratic enthusiasm edge; inflation, gas prices, foreign policy, and other headwinds could tilt outcomes. Gerrymandering over time reduces competitiveness, making a large wave less likely.
Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields of Louisiana will not seek re-election to Congress and will instead run to fill the unexpired term in the state Senate after a Supreme Court ruling and new maps reshaped Louisiana’s districts in Republicans’ favor.
Georgia Gov. Kemp’s plan to hold a special session to redraw maps for the 2028 cycle was derailed when eight House Republicans, including Speaker Jon Burns, said they would not consider congressional or legislative redistricting, citing a rushed process and pending legal cases following the Louisiana v. Callais ruling. Some GOP lawmakers warned that rushing redistricting could energize Democrats, while Lt. Gov. Burt Jones expressed support, leaving the Senate path unclear as Democrats urged protection of Black voters.
Republicans argue that the 2026 redistricting effort has created structural advantages that shrink competitive House districts and strengthen the GOP’s hold, citing an NRCC memo that the map has shifted the battlefield in ways favorable to Republicans, including more Trump-won districts becoming safer. Democrats counter that attempts to rig the midterms through gerrymandering won’t work and point to ongoing court battles and further redraws ahead of 2028.
Vox argues that a Justice Department opinion, building on the Callais framework, would apply the Supreme Court’s voting-rights logic to employment discrimination, making disparate-impact claims harder to prove and shifting civil-rights policy away from Congress toward the judiciary—potentially leaving workers more exposed to discriminatory practices while altering who sets civil-rights rules.
Florida’s Supreme Court cleared the way for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ congressional map to be used in 2026, despite voters’ Fair Districts Amendment banning partisan gerrymandering. The majority avoided ruling on the map itself, while Justice Jorge Labarga dissented, urging intervention as in past elections. A DeSantis appointee, Judge Joshua Hawkes, previously denied a block on the map, arguing it might be preferable given federal and state considerations. Plaintiffs appealed, the court expedited briefing, and DeSantis touted the court’s conservative tilt as the map could yield up to four additional GOP seats.
The Supreme Court’s six-justice Republican majority issued a ruling that weakens protections against racial gerrymandering by Alabama, arguing state maps can be drawn to dilute nonwhite voting power. The decision diverges from earlier guidance in Callais and Allen, prompting Justice Sotomayor’s dissent that this could provoke chaos in Alabama’s upcoming primary and undermine the Voting Rights Act. Analysts say the Court is broadening states’ ability to shape electoral maps, which could tilt the 2026 midterms toward Republicans by effectively giving them an extra House seat.
New York lawmakers gave preliminary approval to a constitutional amendment allowing mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 2028 elections, a move that would remove current map-drawing restrictions and could shift several GOP seats to Democrats. The amendment must pass again next year and win voter approval in November 2027, with Democrats seeking control over referendum wording and Republicans warning of a rigged process amid a high-stakes partisan fight.
Slate argues that the Supreme Court’s 6–3 shadow-docket ruling allowing Alabama to erase a Black Democrat’s congressional district weakens voting-rights protections under the 14th Amendment, importing an almost impossible standard from Callais for proving discriminatory intent in redistricting. Justice Sotomayor’s dissent bluntly accuses the majority of lying about its commitment to multiracial democracy, signaling a new barrier to Black representation in voting-rights claims.