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Democrats in three states are now considering moves to counter a push by Texas Republicans to redraw their state’s maps.
July 28, 2025, 5:52 p.m. ET
If Texas lawmakers follow through on President Trump’s call to redraw state congressional maps to help the Republican Party, New York leaders say they want to be ready to respond in kind.
Democrats in the State Assembly and Senate will introduce a bill on Tuesday that would allow New York to redraw its own congressional lines mid-decade — instead of every 10 years, linked to the U.S. census — if another state does so first.
“Republicans have made it clear that they will stop at nothing to use this process to advance their political agenda,” said State Senator Michael Gianaris, the deputy majority leader sponsoring the bill in the Senate. “If other states are going to do this, we shouldn’t stand by and watch the Congress be lost.”
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has cited “constitutional concerns” in his call for Texas to draw new lines, but the actual motive seems political. Mr. Trump has suggested that Texas’s redistricting could help Republicans gain five House seats in their mission to keep control of the chamber after the 2026 midterms. Currently, Republicans have a seven-seat edge in the House, with four seats vacant.
To make Mr. Trump’s desire a reality, Republican state lawmakers have begun a special legislative session, and public hearings on redistricting are underway.
New York’s response is the latest counterattack from Democratic-led states and organizations.
The main super PAC supporting House Democrats has seeded a new fund with about $20 million to go after congressional Republicans in Texas if the state’s legislators follow through on the redistricting effort.
