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U.S. President Donald Trump's demand that Republican-led states redraw their congressional maps to help his party retain control of Congress in November's midterm elections triggered a rare mid-decade national battle over redistricting.

While Republicans initially appeared to hold an advantage, Democratic-led states narrowed the gap. 

Republican gains

Texas: Up to 5 seats

The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way in early December for a new Republican-backed map that targets five Democratic-held seats. The court's 6-3 decision, with the three liberals dissenting, overturned a lower court ruling that concluded the map likely discriminated against minority voters. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed the map in August.

Missouri: 1 seat

Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a new map in September that dismantled a Democratic-held seat based in Kansas City, giving his party the advantage in seven of the state's eight congressional seats. Opponents seek to force a voter referendum on the map, while several organizations filed lawsuits challenging its legality.

Ohio: Up to 2 seats

A quirk in state law required a new map for 2026 because the prior one was approved with no Democratic votes. The state's redistricting commission, which includes five Republicans and two Democrats, unanimously approved a compromise map in October that boosted Republican chances of flipping two Democratic-held seats. Republicans hold 10 of the state's 15 seats.

North Carolina: 1 seat

The state legislature's Republican majority approved a new map in October designed to flip a Democratic seat, which would give Republicans control of 11 of the state's 14 U.S. House seats despite its status as a divided swing state.

Florida: Up to 5 seats

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called a special legislative session in late April to take up redistricting, an effort analysts say could take aim at three to five Democratic incumbents. It is not clear whether there is enough support in the Republican-controlled legislature to redraw the state's U.S. House districts. A new map would have to overcome a constitutional amendment barring the legislature from drawing districts purely for partisan gain. Republicans already control 20 of the state's 28 seats.

Failed GOP bids

Indiana

The Republican-controlled Senate rejected a new map aimed at flipping the state's only two Democratic House seats, a rare rebuke to Trump from members of his own party. Republicans control seven of the state's nine U.S. House seats.

Kansas

Republicans abandoned a Trump-backed effort to redraw the state's congressional map after the state House speaker, Republican Dan Hawkins, said in January there was not enough support in his chamber to overcome a veto threat from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. The GOP holds three of the state's four U.S. House seats.

Democratic gains

California: Up to 5 seats

Voters overwhelmingly approved a new map designed to flip as many as five Republican-held seats in direct response to Texas. Democrats currently hold 43 of the state's 52 districts.

Utah: 1 seat

A state judge threw out a Republican-drawn map as illegally partisan and implemented an alternative that is likely to flip one of the state's four Republican-held seats to Democrats.

Uncertainties

Virginia: Possibly 4 seats

In a special election April 21, voters approved a new Democratic-drawn congressional map that could flip four Republican U.S. House seats. The map faces challenges from Republicans who argue that Democrats did not follow the law when approving the proposed referendum. The state Supreme Court allowed the vote to proceed but could decide to invalidate the referendum, making the results moot. The updated district lines are likely to result in Democrats capturing 10 of the state's 11 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, up from their current six-to-five advantage.

New York: Possibly 1 seat

A New York judge in January ordered the state's independent redistricting commission to redraw a Republican-held congressional district centered on New York City's borough of Staten Island, potentially giving Democrats a chance to flip the seat in November. The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority put that decision on hold March 2, granting a request from the incumbent Republican, Nicole Malliotakis. Democrats hold 19 of the state's 26 seats. New York law makes it impossible to advance a statewide redistricting effort until 2027.

Maryland

Democrats in the House advanced a new map in February that targeted the state's only Republican member of Congress but the Senate president, Democrat Bill Ferguson, opposed the bill, likely dooming the effort. Democrats hold the state's other seven House districts.