Election 2026-Redistricting

President Donald Trump's efforts to reshape U.S. House districts have seen mixed outcomes. South Carolina senators defied his push Tuesday, while Missouri's top court upheld a new map backed by Trump that could benefit Republicans in the midterm elections. The national redistricting battle has been raging for 10 months. But it became more intense after the U.S. Supreme Court recently weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. The ruling has led Republicans in states such as Louisiana, Tennessee and Alabama to push for new districts. South Carolina senators expressed concerns that redistricting could backfire, resulting in losses to Democrats.

State senators in Louisiana are considering a new congressional map after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the previous one. The new plan would eliminate a majority-Black district, giving Republicans a chance to win an additional seat in the November midterm elections. Louisiana must redraw its map after the court ruled it illegally used race to gerrymander. But the court ruling weakening the Voting Rights Act also spawned a wave of redistricting efforts in Southern states. South Carolina's governor is the latest to push for congressional redistricting ahead of the midterms and could call lawmakers into a special session.