Six States Have Redrawn Their Congressional Maps After Texas. What Comes Next?

How many states redrew congressional maps

How many states redrew congressional maps?

When the Supreme Court permitted Texas to keep its newly redrawn congressional map for the 2026 midterms, it did more than settle a fight over district boundaries. It opened the door to a national redistricting surge that is now reshaping the balance of power in Washington. The ruling signaled that mid decade map changes, once rare and often legally risky, are now easier to push through. State lawmakers across the country took notice.

So far, six states have redrawn their congressional maps after Texas moved first. Another eight are discussing whether to do the same. Together, they represent the biggest burst of redistricting activity since the 1800s, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The outcome will influence not only which party controls the House in 2026, but also how districts are drawn for the rest of the decade.

Texas: The ruling that set off a chain reaction

The Supreme Court’s decision was unsigned, but its effect was clear. It allowed the Texas map to stand because the 2026 election cycle is already in motion, and because the Court’s 2019 precedent holds that partisan gerrymandering cannot be challenged in federal court.

Justice Samuel Alito, backed by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, wrote that the Texas map was designed for partisan advantage, not racial discrimination. The liberal justices disagreed. Justice Elena Kagan pointed to extensive lower court evidence showing racial sorting and warned that the ruling “gives every State the opportunity to hold an unlawful election.”

Democrats slammed the decision. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the Texas map a “racially discriminatory power grab.” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton celebrated it as the state’s “fundamental right” to draw districts that ensure Republican representation.

But the strongest impact came not from the political rhetoric, but from what lawmakers in other states realized: the Court was not going to intervene.

The six states that have already redrawn their maps

Since the Texas ruling, California, Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri, Utah, and Texas itself have all completed new maps. Each case carries local context, but the trend is consistent. States are redrawing maps earlier and more aggressively than at any point in modern political history.

1. Texas

Texas expects to shift five seats toward Republicans, solidifying its status as the GOP’s biggest structural advantage in the House. The map cuts deeply into Black and Latino political influence, according to critics.

2. California

Democrats in California used the moment to reinforce their dominance. The new map could shift up to five seats further blue. Supporters say the map follows population shifts. Opponents view it as a strategic counter to GOP led redistricting elsewhere.

3. Ohio

Ohio’s new map could flip two Democratic seats to Republicans. The state has been locked in redistricting battles for years, and the Texas ruling effectively removed the last major barrier to passing a GOP friendly map.

4. North Carolina

North Carolina’s map is designed to give Republicans one more safe seat. The state has long been a central battleground for voting rights cases, but the new legal climate makes challenges harder to win.

5. Missouri

Missouri dismantled a Kansas City based Democratic district, weakening the party’s urban presence in the state and securing a map that leans more strongly Republican.

6. Utah

Utah’s new map may create one competitive or Democratic leaning district, depending on how legal disputes play out. It is one of the few mid decade efforts that might benefit Democrats.

In total, these states could shift roughly fourteen seats, a significant swing given the Republicans’ narrow 220 to 213 majority.

The eight states that may redraw their maps next

At least eight more states are weighing whether to rework their congressional lines. Some see opportunity. Some fear being outmaneuvered. All understand that the Supreme Court has lowered the cost of moving quickly.

The motivations fall into three main categories:

1. Protecting vulnerable majorities

With the House closely divided, even a handful of new districts could tip control in 2026.

2. Responding to pressure from national leaders

Trump has urged GOP led states to redraw maps to secure seats ahead of the next midterms. Democratic strategists are pushing blue states to respond in kind.

3. Acting before courts shift again

Lawmakers know this permissive legal environment may not last. Some want to draw new maps now, before future courts revisit the rules around partisan gerrymandering.

Yet even in this freer landscape, racial gerrymandering remains legally dangerous. Damon Hewitt of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law warns that states adopting racially skewed maps should expect scrutiny. “People want the power to pick their elected officials, not watch politicians cherry pick who gets to vote in their districts,” he said.

What this wave means for 2026

This redistricting surge is changing the political map in real time. Neither party has a clear advantage. Republicans have gained ground in Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, and Missouri. Democrats have countered in California. Utah remains unpredictable.

The larger shift is that congressional maps may no longer stay fixed for an entire decade. States have discovered that they can redraw when political conditions change. That means incumbents could suddenly find themselves in new districts. Voters may wake up to learn they are represented somewhere else. And national control of the House could swing more often, driven not just by elections but by rapidly changing district lines.

Rick Hasen of UCLA captured the moment: the Supreme Court has given states a “green light” to redraw maps again and again, and it has told lower courts to step aside.

If the remaining eight states move forward, the political map heading into 2026 could look very different from the one drawn after the 2020 census.

So, how many states have redrawn their congressional maps after Texas?

Six states have already completed new maps:
Texas, California, Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri, and Utah.

At least eight more are actively considering further redraws.

This is the biggest mid decade redistricting wave in more than a century, and its effects will echo well beyond the next election.