'Strange divisions' growing within GOP over Trump's 'latest power play': report

Donald Trump’s attempt to shore up the Republican party majority within the House is not being greeted with open arms by members of his caucus as they grow uneasy over how voters will react to what Politico calls an overt “power play.”

Politico’s Lisa Kashinsky and Meredith Lee Hill are reporting that the president’s “aggressive redistricting push” is exposing a rift within the party with lawmakers in both Congress and at the state level becoming increasingly vocal about adopting the same strategy playing out in Texas.

As the report notes, resistance to what is perceived as gerrymandering crosses the ideological divide within the GOP with some moderates making common cause with far-right members that it could blow up in their faces.

GOP state lawmakers across the country, in whose hands the redistricting rests, are “split’ on bowing to Trump’s wishes, with Politico, reporting, “These strange divisions underscore the complex political dynamics of the president’s latest power play. It’s become a loyalty test that could boost Republicans’ chances of keeping their trifecta in Washington, but one that also carries significant electoral risk for several of their own members in Congress and potential for broader voter backlash.”

With a White House insider stating, “All of these members, they should just remain calm because they’ll still be members,” many are not so sure.

House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-MD) stated, “We should probably shy away from mid-cycle redistricting,” and MAGA Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) added, “I don’t understand how Florida does a mid-decade redistricting.”

GOP campaign consultant Rob Stutzman warned, “The safer you are and enjoy being in the majority, the more your self interest is ‘lets see Texas get scrambled and if we sacrifice some colleagues from blue states, in California and New York, so be it.’”

Far-right Rep. Jim Lucas (R-IN) was more pointed in his criticism, saying that redistricting in his solidly conservative state still looks “politically optically horrible.”

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