Trump-backed redistricting sought a midterm edge for Republicans. It didn't work

Republican efforts to redraw House maps in eight states at President Donald Trump's urging largely failed to protect the party's narrow majority, as Democrats won control of the chamber in Tuesday's midterms. Associated Press reporting carried by PBS NewsHour says voter unhappiness over Trump, the economy and the war with Iran overwhelmed the mapmakers' calculations. Missouri's plan was blocked by courts and then rejected by voters, and California's Democratic counter-redistricting flipped seats that Republicans had held.

The push began when Trump asked Texas Republicans to engineer five additional GOP seats. Other states followed, helped in the South by a Supreme Court decision weakening Voting Rights Act protections for majority Black districts. Associated Press estimates show nearly all the new targets would have given Trump a comfortable 2024 margin. But roughly six in ten voters in the AP Voter Poll disapprove of his performance, and Hispanic support for Republicans slipped.

In Texas, Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez survived, while Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz lost to Bobby Pulido. In Florida, Jared Moskowitz and Kathy Castor won, and Pia Dandiya took an open seat. Alabama's Shomari Figures also prevailed.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →