Hi,
With the 2025 election now behind us, we’re looking ahead to the 2026 midterms and the path to flipping the House. A major factor shaping that path is redistricting. This year, at Donald Trump’s urging, Republican-led states launched aggressive mid-decade efforts to redraw congressional maps in their favor.
Trump knows the U.S. House majority is at risk in next year’s midterms, and Republicans are trying to lock in an advantage before voters can weigh in and hold them accountable. Now, states across the country are considering or implementing new maps, and those decisions will determine which districts will be most competitive in next year’s elections.
As our priority remains putting our collective efforts into the most effective ways to elect a Democratic House majority, which is our best way to put a real check on the Trump administration, we want to keep you updated on everything that’s happening.
Here’s where things stand:
In Texas, a federal court recently blocked the new gerrymandered map designed to give Republicans up to five additional House seats. Texas appealed the case to the Supreme Court, which has temporarily allowed the map to remain in place while they consider the case. The Supreme Court is signaling they will move quickly, so we expect to hear more here soon.
Missouri, Ohio, and North Carolina have enacted new congressional maps as well, further gerrymandering their states in favor of Republicans. In Missouri, voters are fighting back, and are collecting signatures for a ballot referendum that would let Missourians vote in a special election on whether to repeal the gerrymandered map.
Florida, Indiana, and Kansas (where Republicans have majorities in the state legislature) are at various stages of considering map changes, though some efforts have stalled or slowed due to legislative disagreements or lack of support.
In Utah, Republicans are planning to appeal to the Supreme Court to block a new congressional map instituted by a state court that creates one safe Democratic seat around Salt Lake City. This comes after Republicans have repeatedly tried to draw maps with no blue seats, ignoring the requirements of a redistricting initiative passed by voters in 2018.
But this isn’t a one-sided fight. Democratic-led states are taking action too, and this community helped make that possible.
In California, with the support of the Swing Left community, voters passed Proposition 50, allowing the legislature to temporarily redraw the maps in Democrats’ favor ahead of the 2026 elections. Litigation is ongoing, but this could significantly offset the unfair advantage Republicans are trying to gain in other states.
In Virginia, the state legislature approved the first step of a constitutional amendment that would allow lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of the 2026 election. And since Democrats expanded their control of the legislature in this year’s elections—another victory this community made possible—the newly sworn-in legislature will be able to approve the amendment for the required second time in January. It will then go before voters in a statewide referendum.
There is also activity in states like Maryland, where Governor Wes Moore reconstituted the state’s Redistricting Advisory Commission. The group will begin meeting this month. Although far from certain, it’s possible that Maryland could reconsider its map in response to changes happening elsewhere.
What this means for Swing Left’s strategy:
Republicans are working hard to tilt the playing field. That makes the work we’re doing now to shore up competitive Democratic campaigns more important than ever.
Right now, Swing Left is targeting 22 districts—a mix of Democratic-held seats we need to defend and Republican-held seats we need to flip. These are the places we believe your time and money can have the greatest impact on flipping the House. As we’ve already done this year, we’ll continue to update these targets so our efforts stay focused where it matters most.
Your support powers our nationwide organizing work—including our knock-every-door canvassing program, Ground Truth—and ensures Democratic candidates in these must-win districts have the resources they need the moment their primaries end.
As always, we’ll continue to keep you up to date on the most impactful ways to take action.
Thank you for everything you do,
— The Swing Left Team
|
Since 2017, Swing Left has channeled the energy of grassroots volunteers and donors to elect Democrats, up and down the ballot, focusing on the most competitive races that can swing the national balance of power. Right now, Swing Left is investing in early grassroots organizing in key swing districts and initiatives across the country to lay the foundation to win back the House in 2026. If you’d like to help support our work, you can make a donation using this link. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Paid for by Swing Left, swingleft.org, not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
