House Democrats are pushing back against President Donald Trump’s directive to eliminate Democratic seats in Texas by launching an aggressive redistricting strategy of their own—hiring top attorneys to help cut down the number of GOP-held seats in five key states, in the battle to retake control of the House from Speaker Mike Johnson and the Republicans.
Calling it “an extraordinary push,” CNN reported that House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wants to reorganize the congressional maps in California, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Washington state, to help Democrats pick up as many seats as possible—if the courts allow it.
Currently, California has nine House Republicans. New York has seven. Minnesota has four, New Jersey has three, and Washington has two.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s plan reportedly could wipe out up to five of the 13 Democratic-held House seats in the Lone Star State. Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine is also planning on redrawing districts in his state to try to eliminate some of the five Democratic-held seats in his state.
The Cincinnati Enquirer last week noted that “Republicans control every aspect of the redistricting process in Ohio,” including at the state Supreme Court.
Leader Jeffries is calling the GOP redistricting plan “part of a scheme to rig the midterm elections,” but he’s willing to do battle on this front.
“We have a responsibility of making sure that we look at every single state of the union and do what we can to ensure that we maximize fairness in those jurisdictions,” Jeffries told CNN. “Some of the best and brightest lawyers in the country are looking at every single aspect of what’s possible in these states.”
Unlike in red states, blue states have independent commissions to determine districts. This could present a legal hurdle to Jeffries’ plan, but some Democrats are determined to move forward.
“If Republicans want to play by these rules, then I think that we shouldn’t have one set of rules for one and the other set of rules for another. I think we need to even the playing board,” U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told CNN.
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) told CNN, “I think the biggest thing that keeps Trump up at night is losing the majority in the US House of Representatives and having to answer to Democrats and be held accountable.”
Chances are strong that if Democrats retake the House in next year’s election, President Trump could once again face impeachment.
Texas’s special session, which starts Monday, is expected to complete the plan to redraw the state’s congressional maps. But The Washington Post reported that “Texas’s Republican members of Congress expressed little enthusiasm for the plan, which could make safe seats more competitive.”
And U.S. Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) warned that if Democrats don’t act, “It’s gonna be a knockout midterm election like you haven’t seen in a long time.”
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this month denounced Texas Governor Abbott’s plan, and vowed to respond.
“Texas is using a special session about emergency disaster aid to redistrict their state and cheat their way into more Congressional seats. These guys have no shame,” Newsom wrote, adding that his state “is watching — and you can bet we won’t stand idly by.”
Last week, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) denounced what she called her state’s efforts to “dilute the voices of people of color” by redistricting away blue seats.
