President Trump leads Texas GOP push for new congressional maps to strengthen Republicans ahead of 2026 midterms.

Trump’s Texas Strategy Aims to Solidify GOP House Control

President Donald Trump is taking a direct role in the Republican Party’s strategy to reshape the congressional landscape as the 2026 midterm elections approach. With the GOP defending a narrow House majority, Trump and Texas Republican leaders are spearheading a campaign to redraw congressional districts in the Lone Star State—an effort designed to consolidate Republican power and counter expected Democratic gains.

The Texas state legislature, controlled by Republicans, is convening in a special session to consider redrawing the state’s congressional maps. Trump has made clear his intent to avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms, when Democrats captured the House. “Texas will be the biggest one,” Trump told reporters, projecting that new maps could add five Republican-leaning seats. In a recent call with Texas’s Republican congressional delegation, Trump stressed the goal of creating up to five winnable districts for the GOP.

Currently, Democrats hold just 12 of Texas’s 38 congressional districts, with one seat vacant. The proposed redistricting plan would shift Democratic voters into GOP-leaning districts and reinforce Republican strongholds. Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, both Trump allies, say the move is necessary to address constitutional concerns raised by the Justice Department over minority-dominated districts.

Risks and National Ripple Effects

While the plan promises potential gains, it also comes with political risk. Veteran Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser warned that redrawing districts could make some previously safe GOP seats more competitive, a concern shared by many incumbent Republican members of Congress. “If you want to grow the majority, that’s the tradeoff,” Steinhauser noted, adding that those drawing the maps do not want to endanger their own seats in the process.

Mid-decade redistricting is rare, typically only occurring after the U.S. Census, but Texas Republicans are pushing the envelope as part of a broader national effort. Democrats have called the move a blatant power grab and are preparing legal challenges to block any changes. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York has vowed that Democrats will “push back aggressively because it’s the right thing to do.”

Democrats in blue states are weighing their own countermeasures. California Governor Gavin Newsom responded to the Texas plan by suggesting similar tactics, arguing that “two can play this game.” Democrats in California are considering ambitious efforts to gain additional seats through redistricting, but are constrained by an independent commission established to minimize partisan influence. Newsom has proposed repealing the commission via a special election, but the path forward is fraught with legislative and legal obstacles.

Legal and legislative fights over redistricting are emerging in other battleground states. In Wisconsin, Democrats are pursuing a second legal challenge to alter the maps after the state’s Supreme Court declined to intervene. Litigation is also ongoing in Utah and Florida, both Republican strongholds. In Ohio, which is legally required to redraw its maps this year, the GOP could gain up to three additional seats.

As the battle for control of the House intensifies, redistricting has become a central front in the struggle for political power. With both parties seeking every possible advantage, the coming months promise high-stakes legislative and courtroom clashes that could reshape the balance of power in Washington for years to come.