Rigging the map? How power in US Congress is likely to shift after state level redistricting fights

Republicans hold a 217-212 majority in the House, but they could lock in more seats if reapportionments go their way

Republicans and Democrats have been engaged in a political tug of war in legislatures, courts and the ballot box to narrow the battlefield of 2026 before a single vote is cast.

Normally, redistricting only occurs after the US census counts residents in each state every 10 years. A demand from Donald Trump to lock in more Republican-leaning districts in Congress, together with a changing legal landscape around partisan gerrymandering, set off a chain of mid-decade reapportionments.