America
Control of Congress Swings on Redistricting War
Both parties use new maps to gain advantage.
I BY JIM THOMAS
n the latest escalation of America’s redistricting wars, President Donald Trump’s allies in Texas pushed through
a mid-decade congressional map aimed at expanding Republican power, while California Democrats are preparing a ballot measure to redraw their own lines. The showdown underscores how gerrymandering, a practice as old as the republic, remains one of the most powerful tools in U.S. politics, and how two of the nation’s largest states are engaged in a contest that could shape control of Congress next year. While Republicans and Demo-
crats have engaged in gerrymander- ing, most independent experts argue Republicans have pursued the prac- tice more aggressively and with great- er national coordination in the mod- ern era. After the 2010 census, the Repub-
lican State Leadership Committee targeted about $30 million to win control of state legislatures in battle- ground states. The effort gave the GOP the authority to draw new maps in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The results were swift. In Penn- sylvania’s 2012 elections, Democrat congressional candidates won 51% of the statewide vote but captured only five of 18 seats. In Wisconsin, Republicans won just
under 49% of the statewide vote but car- ried 60 of 99 state Assembly districts.
In North Carolina, Republicans
emerged with a 9-4 congressional edge, despite Democrats winning more votes. Democrats have used similar tac-
tics. In Maryland, they redrew the 6th Congressional District in 2011 in a way that targeted a long-serving Republi- can incumbent. Internal emails later revealed a staff-
er’s goal was to create “a district where the people would be more likely to elect a Democrat than a Republican.” Illinois has been criticized for its sprawling and contorted districts, including the so-called “earmuff” 4th District that connects two His- panic neighborhoods by a narrow strip of highway. In New York, Democrats’ 2022 congressional map was so tilted
They’ve Got Gerrymandering Down to an Art
ILLINOIS The 13th District, which connects Democrat voters in Champaign, Urbana, Decatur, Springfield, and East St. Louis, splits six counties, as well as multiple townships, cities, and even precincts, contributing to a 15-3 Democrat edge in the state overall.
10 NEWSMAX | OCTOBER 2025
TENNESSEE Nashville is split among three congressional districts, leaving Tennessee’s largest city with no dedicated representative in Congress and ensuring that Republicans will carry all congressional districts except Memphis.
OHIO
The Ohio map draws Democrats into highly concentrated districts, limiting the number of districts they can influence, resulting in few competitive seats.
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