(NewsNation) — The race to redraw congressional maps ahead of next year’s midterm elections continues, following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Texas.
Justices on Thursday overturned a lower court’s ruling that found some redrawn voting lines were racially discriminatory or gerrymandered, marking a significant win for the Trump administration. The attention now shifts to congressional seats in other states, including Florida, which could be Republicans’ biggest redistricting test yet.
Gerrymandering vs. redistricting
While the terms “gerrymandering” and “redistricting” are often used in reference to congressional maps, there are key distinctions between the two.
Redistricting is the process by which the boundaries of electoral districts, be it for Congress or state legislatures, are determined in each state, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. This normally takes place following the census or population-based reapportionment among states for the 435 seats in the House of Representatives.
The center describes gerrymandering as the strategic drawing of district boundaries to increase the likelihood of electoral success for one or more parties in the future. The U.S. has a long history of racial gerrymandering, the center notes, in which maps are drawn to increase or decrease the electoral influence of certain racial groups.
Texas’ map battle
The Supreme Court’s decision to allow Texas to use its new congressional map comes days before the Monday deadline for candidates to file to run for office in the Lone Star State.
The new map could help Republicans win up to five more seats in the U.S. House. A lower court had ruled the map likely violated the Constitution and was a racial gerrymander, but the Supreme Court decision wipes that out.
Florida’s map battle
Florida is not only the biggest prize Republicans want in the redistricting battle, but it’s also the hardest state to redraw. The state constitution has some of the toughest rules against partisan gerrymandering in the country. If Florida enters the redistricting fight, it won’t be quick or clean.
The Sunshine State has 28 congressional seats, and Republicans already hold a 20-8 edge, but they see a chance to add three to five more. However, Republican leaders aren’t unified. The House is moving ahead now, while the Senate wants to wait for a special session in the spring, backing Gov. Ron DeSantis. Democrats say any mid-decade redraw would be illegal, and voting-rights groups are ready to challenge it.
Any redistricting has to happen before April 20 to count this cycle. DeSantis weighed in this week, saying Florida may have to redraw its map depending on a Supreme Court case out of Louisiana, a ruling he believes could directly affect Florida’s lines.
“We’re going to do it, and part of it is, we’re going to be forced to do it because the Supreme Court’s VRA decision is going to impact the current map,” DeSantis said, referencing an ongoing case involving the Voting Rights Act and Louisiana’s congressional map.
DeSantis pushed through a controversial map in 2022, but Democrats such as state Rep. Daryl Campbell say this new effort is simply to “appease Donald Trump,” telling NewsNation that voters — not politicians — should be choosing their representatives.
Indiana’s map battle
In Indiana, a House panel advanced a new map on Tuesday, which will go before the House for a full vote, according to NewsNation partner The Hill. Republicans in the state have been under pressure from the Trump administration to pass a new set of district lines, according to the outlet.
The state’s senate is expected to convene on Monday to make a “final decision” over any redistricting proposals from the house.
How Democrats are responding
States across the country, from California to Virginia, are redrawing their maps as both parties look for any edge heading into the midterms.
In November, California voters approved Proposition 50, a measure that establishes a new congressional map for the next three election cycles, potentially flipping as many as five U.S. House seats to Democratic control. Meanwhile, Virginia Democrats are attempting to create a new congressional map in 2026 that could help them secure four new seats, according to Newsweek.