The narrow victory of a Virginia ballot initiative to approve a redistricting plan favoring Democrats puts the party in the lead nationally in a redistricting arms race that began last August.
After Virginia, Democrats have gained 10 seats nationally through redistricting and Republicans nine, giving Democrats a +1 advantage. Republicans could respond with a redistricting initiative in Florida, with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) calling a special session next week.
Here are the states that have successfully passed new electoral maps since August:
California: Democrats add five seats
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) was the first Democratic governor to retaliate against Texas’s redistricting push, quickly unveiling a new map that would shift five of the state’s Republican seats. His effort was initially met with skepticism from many state Democrats, but nationwide momentum helped push it forward. Newsom called a Nov. 4 special election to bring the new map before voters, a vote that was easily won in the deep blue state.
The victory made California the first Democratic state to redistrict in favor of the party, with the five new seats effectively canceling out Texas’s gains.
Virginia: Democrats add four seats
Democrats scored their next big victory since California in Virginia on Tuesday, when voters narrowly passed a measure to implement a 10-1 map in Democrats favor, stripping Republicans of four seats under the previous 6-5 map. The victory effectively reverses all Republican gains in redistricting battles so far and some, giving Democrats a +1 advantage.
The new Virginia map was created by the Democratic-held General Assembly, after a bill allowed it to temporarily redraw congressional districts, ostensibly to counter Republican efforts in other states. The previous 6-5 map narrowly favoring Democrats was created by a bipartisan commission.
Texas: Republicans add five seats
Texas launched the national redistricting fight on July 30 when it unveiled its proposal for a new congressional map, which stripped the Democrats of five seats. Fifty Democratic lawmakers fled the state to deprive Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) of his quorum to enact the bill, triggering a standoff that included the issuing of arrest warrants for the rogue lawmakers. The lawmakers soon trickled back, giving Republicans their quorum to vote on the measure in time for the second special session.
The Texas House passed the new map on Aug. 20 in an 88-52 vote, while the Texas Senate passed the map on Aug. 23 in an 18-8 vote. Abbott signed the new map into law on Aug. 29, giving Republicans five new Congressional seats.
Ohio: Republicans add two seats
Ohio was already required by law to redraw its congressional maps before the 2026 midterm elections, but Republicans were split on how to redraw the maps. Republican lawmakers debated between two maps — one would’ve given them two seats, and the other would have given them three seats. The previous map gave Republicans 10 seats and Democrats five seats.
On Oct. 31, the Ohio Redistricting Commission passed the new map, which granted Republicans two more seats. Democrats agreed to the measure as it was seen as a compromise, to ward off the more aggressive addition of three seats.
North Carolina: Republicans add one seat
North Carolina‘s previous congressional map gave Republicans 10 seats and Democrats four. The leaders of the Republican-controlled state legislature, House Speaker Destin Hall (R) and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R), unveiled the new map, flipping one seat for Republicans in October. It rapidly moved through the Senate committee, the full Senate, and then the House over the course of just two days.
North Carolina law gives the state legislature full control over congressional maps, so it was implemented into law upon its passing through the House on Oct. 21.
Missouri: Republicans add one seat
Missouri Republicans were some of the first to respond to the party’s calls, quickly moving to follow Texas’s lead. The previous map gave Republicans six seats and Democrats two. The new map stripped Democrats of one of those, giving the state a 7-1 Republican advantage.
Missouri Republican Lt. Gov. David Wasinger argued that the measure would be in the interest of most Missouri voters, who voted for Trump by an 18.4-point margin in 2024. He explicitly invoked Trump’s call to redistrict in August.
“We missed the chance to secure a 7-1 map in 2022, a mistake President Trump rightly calls on us to fix. Missouri’s next congressional map must protect Missouri values and ensure our representatives in Congress are as conservative as the voters who send them,” he said.
The new map was passed in the state legislature with overwhelming majorities, and Gov. Mike Kehoe (R-MO) signed it into law on Sept. 28.
VIRGINIA VOTERS APPROVE HIGH-STAKES REDISTRICTING REFERENDUM
Utah: Democrats add one seat
Utah saw the most unique redistricting battle, as Democrats were able to add a seat in the deep red state, though not through their own efforts. In August, District Judge Dianna Gibson ruled that the Republican-controlled state legislature had redrawn districts counter to Utah law, preventing redistricting that favors any party. The previous map gave Republicans all four congressional seats by splitting the blue Salt Lake City between the four districts.
A new map giving Democrats one seat was confirmed in November, after Gibson rejected another proposal that made two competitive districts. Republican attempts to block or delay the new map were shot down in February, clearing the way for the 3-1 Republican-Democrat map for the Midterms.