Both Parties Maneuver for House Seat Advantages Through Redistricting

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats will win back the House of Representatives in November despite Republican gains with redistricting. Jeffries made the statements on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. “Republicans have concluded that they need to cheat to win,” he said.

The Supreme Court’s recent ruling weakening federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities has prompted Republicans in several Southern states to try to eliminate House districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats. Tennessee and Alabama have already acted to implement different House maps that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

A similar redistricting effort fizzled Tuesday in the South Carolina Senate.

The national redistricting battle has lasted 10 months and has involved about one-third of the states. The effort gained steam when President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans last year to redraw House districts in an attempt to win more seats in the midterm elections. Democrats in California responded with their own new districts.

Republicans think they could gain as many as 15 seats from new House maps in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama. Democrats think they could gain six seats from new maps in California and Utah. The Virginia Supreme Court struck down a redistricting effort last week.

The Washington Times reported these developments on Thursday, May 14, 2026.