The Supreme Court has started a second wave of redistricting wars — and Republicans are moving forward.
The court on Wednesday punched a hole in the Voting Rights Act, prompting calls from Republicans to quickly redraw Southern congressional maps to improve their chances of taking over the House this fall and increase their power for years to come.
Top GOP candidates, elected officials and party chairs in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and South Carolina, as well as a group of Republican lawyers and MAGA allies, called for special sessions in their states to eliminate minority-majority districts and create more aggressive gerrymandering that benefits their party.
“There is no time to waste,” billionaire Rick Jackson, the leading GOP candidate for Georgia governor, said in a statement. statement.
“let’s go!” said Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville, who is also running for governor in Alabama.
“I will do everything I can to make this map a reality,” said Senator Marsha Blackburn, the Republican nominee for governor of Tennessee. I am sharing a suggested map of my state. No Democratic-held districts.
The decision breathes new life into a tug-of-war that President Donald Trump started in Texas last year. Republicans passed a new map in Florida on Wednesday that gives them a potentially narrow lead over Democrats nationally, but many are now hoping they can significantly widen the gap after the court’s decision.
Still, it’s unclear how much success the GOP will have in redrawing more maps before the midterms. Many filing deadlines have already passed, and primaries in other states like Louisiana are rapidly approaching. And even winning redistricting in all these states may not be enough to save Republicans from a treacherous midterm cycle.
But GOP activists argue there is still time to redistrict some states this year.
Jason Torchinsky, a top Republican elections lawyer, wrote in a text message that “there are opportunities for states that want to adjust some maps, but a lot depends on timing and where the state election machinery stands in each state.”
“I think there’s a path forward for a lot of (states), but these things always come down to a political question. They need votes,” said Adam Kincaid, who leads the National Republican Redistricting Trust and was a key player in pushing the White House redistricting. “They have to get the votes in these chambers to get this done.”
But he balked when asked about a maximalist approach to the 2026 rescheduling.
“What I’m going to say is that if you’re a state that has districts that are intentionally drawn along racial lines, you really need to evaluate, one, whether you’re in any kind of a strong position to defend those maps, and two, at what point are you going to address those issues?”
Alabama’s Republican Governor Kay Ivey rejected calls from within her party to call a special session on Wednesday, citing a separate court ruling that prevents the state from redrawing its maps until 2030.
“Although we are not in a position to call a special session at this time, I am hopeful that in light of this new decision, the Court will find favor with Alabama,” Ivey said in a statement.
But outside pressure on state lawmakers in these GOP states will be immense.
Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon, said he would encourage states like Louisiana, where early voting begins this weekend, to redraw their maps if they have time to do so. He said he did not have time to review the Supreme Court’s decision.
“I would say generally I think they would want to do that,” he said.
The powerful GOP-aligned super PAC Club for Growth Action, a close Trump ally that has poured millions into redistricting-related pressure campaigns, wants states to “go as aggressive as possible,” said a person familiar with the club’s thinking, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly.
C.J. Pearson, co-chair of the Republican National Committee’s Youth Advisory Council, said, “Any Republican governor in any Southern state who is no longer fiddling with his staff to call a special session to redraw his maps should be prioritized.” said on x.
Will Chamberlain, senior counsel for the GOP-aligned Article III Project, urged GOP governors across the South Immediately call your legislatures into a special session to redraw the maps.
The decision to pursue any redistricting efforts depends largely on the ability and interest of governors and state lawmakers to return to session, as many, like Georgia, have already adjourned for the year. In many of these states, candidate filing deadlines have already passed and voting has already begun in states like Georgia, making it too late in many cases to change maps. But those temporary setbacks haven’t stopped many Republican candidates from demanding swift action.
Five Republican candidates are in the running for the open race for governor in South Carolina – four of which He called on state lawmakers in Columbia to eliminate the seat of longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). Clyburn said a post on x The court appears “bent” on eliminating “African American political representation in many Southern states.”
Tuberville, who is running for governor of Alabama, has already asked his home state to redraw its lines A timely op-ed Published on Tuesday. He argued, “The state should by all rights send a full Republican delegation to Washington” because Alabama votes overwhelmingly for the GOP. tuberville Reshared article After the Supreme Court’s decision.
Blackburn, another senator running for governor in the GOP-controlled state, called for the legislature to reconvene create a new map Especially of red districts.
In Georgia, the two front-runners in the competitive GOP primary for governor – Lieutenant Governors Bert Jones and Rick Jackson – quickly praised the decision and threw their support behind drawing new congressional maps. Senator Greg Dolezal, who is running for lieutenant governor, Called for calling a special session immediately.
“I agree that in a society built on equal protection under the law, no state should be directed to redraw legislative maps based on race. Given that Georgia was ordered to do so in its last round of redistricting, I fully support redrawing our state’s legislative maps in compliance with today’s decision,” said Jones, who is primarily endorsed by Trump. said in a statement.
“Nationally, Democrats are trying to redistrict their way back to power, and what happened in Virginia is just the tip of the spear. There is no time to waste,” Jackson said in a statement.
Democrats are struggling to figure out how best to respond to Republicans’ latest efforts. Some are dismissing the logical possibility of the GOP altering the current maps. Others called for reinstating the VRA – but wouldn’t say much about their redistricting strategy. Some people are ready to be aggressive.
Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, “I have long felt that we all have to play by the same rules and the Republican caucus has made it clear that they want to and are setting the rules in a partisan manner.” told reporters after the court’s decision.
“I take 52 seats from California, and 17 seats from Illinois, because at the end of the day, they are rigging this election to try to win. And we can’t sit here and do nothing. We’re going to play their game, and we’re going to beat them at it,” said Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), whose seat could be in contention.
New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul She said she is working with the state legislature “To change New York’s redistricting process so we can fight against Washington’s efforts to manipulate our democracy,” although this is unlikely to happen before 2026. An attempt earlier this year was already blocked in court.
Democrats were so far able to counter the GOP’s redistricting advantage.
California voters passed a ballot measure backed by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, giving the party five more House seats in what was pegged as a response to Texas. Earlier this month, voters in Virginia passed a measure that could have added four seats to the party, though that measure faces a challenge before the state Supreme Court. While the new map of Florida lawmakers gives the GOP a slight lead over Democrats nationally, it is far less than the number the White House expected when it first launched this battle.
Both parties hit snags in their redistricting battles last year, with Indiana Republicans rebuking Trump and Democrats in Illinois and Maryland refusing to pass redistricting. This leaves great uncertainty as to the success of any further rescheduling this year – especially given the rushed timeline.
And while the Supreme Court limited Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, some Democratic lawyers see potential in the decision for future litigation, pointing to the 14th Amendment.
Regardless of how many states may get something done in time for the midterms, the redistricting rodeo that has engulfed American politics for the past two years is here to stay.
“There will be a lot of redistricting over the next few years,” Kincaid said.
Liz Crampton, Cheyenne M. Daniels, Lisa Kashinsky, Megan Messerly and Samuel Benson contributed to this report.
