WH Wants States to Redraw House Maps   07/25 06:12

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House is eyeing redistricting efforts beyond 
Texas to help Republicans hold the U.S. House in 2026 -- and Democrats are 
preparing to escalate in response, with one senator vowing to go "nuclear" if 
needed.

   What's shaping up to be a multistate redistricting battle could mark the 
opening round for House control ahead of next year's midterms, when Democrats 
see retaking the House as the party's best chance to break Republicans' hold on 
Congress and President Donald Trump is determined to keep the GOP's majority. 
Democrats, under pressure from their base to match GOP tactics, have grown more 
forceful in their messaging and are taking concrete steps to push back, even as 
the party enters at a disadvantage.

   "If they're going to go nuclear, then so am I," said Sen. Elissa Slotkin. 
"They're forcing us into this position because they're trying to pick their 
voters."

   At Trump's urging, Texas Republicans are looking to redraw congressional 
maps to favor GOP candidates during a 30-day special legislative session that 
started this week. Trump has said he wants to carve out five new winnable GOP 
seats.

   But Trump officials are now going beyond just Texas, looking to redraw lines 
in other states such as Missouri, according to a person familiar with 
conversations but unauthorized to speak publicly about them.

   Democrats have fewer options. More of the states the party controls do not 
allow elected partisans to draw maps, instead entrusting groups such as 
independent commissions to draw fair lines.

   Still, party leaders are exploring their legal options and shifting their 
posture. A party long known for believing it's on the moral high ground is 
signaling it's ready to fight dirty.

   "We can't fight with one hand behind our backs," Rep. Pete Aguilar, chair of 
the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters Tuesday.

   Democrats explore their own redistricting map plans

   House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries may have fewer options to match 
Republicans, but it hasn't stopped him from exploring them.

   Earlier this month, Jeffries' team spoke with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's 
office about redistricting after the news in Texas, according to a person 
familiar with the conversations. Drawing new congressional lines now could run 
afoul of the state constitution and undoubtedly draw legal challenges -- but it 
doesn't appear to be off the table.

   "What I'm going to say is, all is fair in love and war," Hochul said 
Thursday, adding that she's "going to see what our options are."

   "If there's other states that are violating the rules that are going to try 
and give themselves an advantage, all I'll say is I'm going to look at it 
closely with Hakeem Jeffries."

   Jeffries and his advisers have also examined legal strategies in other 
states with Democratic trifectas, including California, where he recently met 
with the state's congressional delegation.

   On Wednesday, the California delegation's Democrats discussed the 
redistricting issue during a private meeting on Capitol Hill. And on Thursday, 
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi joined an emergency call with others in the state 
about the effort.

   In an interview with The Associated Press, Pelosi said that she is not a fan 
of using redistricting outside of the 10-year window, but if that's what the 
party needs "to win, we will do that."

   "Everything is on the table," Pelosi told AP.

   California's governor, Gavin Newsom, a potential Democratic contender for 
president in 2028, has taken a similar approach. He said on social media in 
response to Trump's redistricting push that "two can play this game."

   An independent commission handles redistricting in his state. Newsom has 
floated the notion of California's Democratic-controlled legislature doing a 
mid-decade redistricting, arguing it wouldn't be expressly forbidden by the 
2008 ballot initiative that created the commission. He's also mentioned the 
possibility of squeezing in a special election to repeal the popular commission 
system before the 2026 elections get underway, either of which would be a long 
shot.

   Democrats see redistricting fight as an avenue to push back

   Beyond the behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Democrats see the redistricting 
fight as an opportunity to meet the moment politically -- delivering the kind 
of aggressive pushback their voters have demanded.

   Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, in a series of social media posts, pushed 
Democrats to fight back, saying the party should "gerrymander to help 
Democrats" and arguing they should dilute heavily Democratic districts to 
secure more seats "everywhere."

   "It's time for Democrats to understand the existential threat. Republicans 
aren't playing around and they will do this as long as it takes to keep power," 
he warned.

   Gallego later told The Associated Press it's simply about ensuring "that 
we're also fighting back."

   That sentiment has gained traction beyond Congress. Former Texas congressman 
Beto O'Rourke said Sunday on CNN that Democrats need to be "to be absolutely 
ruthless about getting back in power."

   Next month, former President Barack Obama is heading to Martha's Vineyard 
for a fundraiser benefiting the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a 
group whose nonprofit affiliate has filed and supported litigation in several 
states over GOP-drawn districts. Eric Holder, Obama's former attorney general 
who chairs the outfit, is expected to attend, along with former House Speaker 
Nancy Pelosi, according to a copy of the invitation first reported by Politico.

   In a statement to AP, Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National 
Democratic Redistricting Committee, called Republicans' moves "cheating," 
adding that the group would be "using every single tool at our disposal to 
fight back and stop Donald Trump's scheme to steal the 2026 midterm elections 
from voters."

   In addition to fundraisers like the one featuring Obama next month, that 
tool kit includes the group and its affiliates focusing on organizing 
volunteers and donors around the special Texas session. They also make media 
appearances and craft digital campaigns to highlight their arguments.

   Redrawing maps could be risky for GOP

   Redrawing of congressional maps holds risks. During the 2010s, Texas' 
GOP-controlled Legislature redrew the congressional map to bolster the party's 
majority. But the advantage proved short-lived: in 2018, a backlash to Trump's 
presidency helped Democrats flip two seats that Republicans had assumed were 
safely red.

   "There had to be folks that drew these lines and everything that had a very 
strong opinion of exactly where they ought to be," said West Virginia Sen. Jim 
Justice, a Republican. "Now just to say, 'OK, we're going to redraw this, we're 
going to redraw that. And by god, if you're going to redraw, we're going to 
redraw.' I don't like that."

   Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said Thursday that he has not yet spoken to any 
Republicans in his state about redistricting but that it's up to the Missouri 
legislature and governor to make the call.

   "I'd love to have more Republicans," Hawley said.