Governors Clash Over Redistricting Claims as States Consider Redrawing Maps

A growing political battle over congressional redistricting has erupted between Democratic and Republican governors, with each side making competing claims about the fairness and legality of redrawing electoral maps before the 2026 midterm elections.

The dispute ignited when President Donald Trump suggested that Texas lawmakers should redraw congressional district lines to give Republicans additional House seats. “We pick up five seats. But we have a couple of other states where we’ll pick up seats also,” Trump told reporters on July 15.

Texas Republicans announced their redistricting proposal in July, prompting Democratic state representatives to leave Texas on August 3 to block a vote on the plan. This potential redistricting move could trigger similar actions in Democratic-controlled states, with California Governor Gavin Newsom planning a special election on November 4 to seek voter approval for a map that could give Democrats five additional House seats.

In the midst of this escalating situation, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Texas Governor Greg Abbott have made contradictory public statements about redistricting practices.

During an August 4 briefing, Hochul claimed, “Congressional districts are never redrawn mid-decade as they are, but here they are, flagrantly breaking the rules so they can hold on to power.” However, elections analysts say this statement is factually incorrect.

“Mid-decade redistricting is common,” said Kyle Kondik, an elections analyst at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “Since 1964, at least one congressional district’s lines were changed in 24 of the 31 two-year election cycles.” What makes the Texas situation unusual, Kondik noted, is that these changes typically follow court orders.

Sam Wang, director of Princeton’s Gerrymandering Project, confirmed this assessment: “In recent decades, the only times that mid-decade redistricting has occurred are when a court or the law requires it, or when it’s Texas – they did it in 2003.”

While there is no federal prohibition on redistricting outside the census schedule, at least three states – New York, North Carolina and Tennessee – specifically prohibit mid-decade congressional redistricting. Seven additional states have restrictions that might extend to congressional maps.

On the other side of the political aisle, Governor Abbott made equally questionable claims during an August 5 Fox News appearance, stating, “There are no states more gerrymandered than California and Illinois and New York… I don’t think those states can gerrymander any more than they have.”

Nonpartisan assessments contradict Abbott’s assertion about California and New York. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project gave California’s map a “B” grade, noting it advantages incumbents rather than a specific party. New York received an “A” after courts rejected legislature-drawn maps that favored Democrats and appointed a special master to create more balanced district lines.

“Both of those maps were created through processes designed to prevent partisan gerrymandering,” Wang explained. “New York’s court-ordered map is actually among the most competitive in the nation, which is why Republicans were able to flip four seats there in 2022.”

Analysis from the Gerrymandering Project and PlanScore identifies Wisconsin and Illinois as having the most skewed congressional maps nationally. Wisconsin’s map heavily favors Republicans, while Illinois’ benefits Democrats – the latter being the only state Abbott correctly identified as heavily gerrymandered.

The current redistricting battle could significantly alter the national political landscape ahead of the 2026 midterms. Kondik notes that while the current House map is relatively balanced nationally, this new round of redistricting could shift the advantage.

“What I am curious to see is how much more Republican does that median seat get when this 2026 redistricting round is over,” Kondik said.

As Democratic governors threaten countermeasures if Texas proceeds with its plan, the coming months could determine whether this escalates into a nationwide redistricting arms race or remains limited to a few battleground states.