In late July, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) convened a special session with redistricting as one of the principal items. The mid-decade redistricting effort aimed at flipping five Democratic-held congressional seats ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections generated a significant amount of news coverage. Democratic lawmakers fled the state to deny quorum and block the vote, traveling to Illinois, New York and California. Gov. Abbott responded with threats of expulsion, arrest warrants, and even felony charges. After two weeks, Democrats ended their walkout and returned to Austin on August 18th. In the end, Texas Republicans approved a new congressional map that is projected to help the GOP flip as many as five seats. Litigation began immediately: Democrats filed suit within hours, and both sides are preparing for a dispute that could ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court. In California, Democratic leaders agreed to place a measure on the November ballot authorizing the legislature to redraw the congressional map. The move is a preemptive step aimed at countering Texas by potentially creating more Democratic-leaning House seats. Similar discussions are unfolding in other states as both parties pursue marginal gains in a narrowly divided U.S. House of Representatives.

In Indiana, the state’s Republican U.S. House delegation is signaling support for redrawing their maps, though state-level leaders have not yet committed to an effort to call a special session and redraw the state’s congressional maps. Ohio must redraw its map this year because the current map was part of a four-year plan; with Republicans in charge, several swing seats could become more favorable for the GOP. Missouri Republicans are pushing toward a special session, with a 7–1 map in sight by targeting the Democratic seat in the Kansas City area. In Florida, the governor and state House speaker have formed a select committee that will focus exclusively on revising the congressional map. Finally in Maryland, the governor has proposed eliminating the state’s lone Republican district.