International🌐 Available in EnglishOctober 7, 2026

House GOP leaders admit redistricting fell short

House GOP leaders admit redistricting fell short
Axios
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House Republican leaders are openly acknowledging that their mid-decade redistricting strategy has underperformed expectations, with gains falling far short of double-digit projections. Current analyses suggest Republicans will net approximately four seats from redistricting rather than the double-digit gains they initially anticipated.

House GOP leaders admit redistricting fell short

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2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

House GOP leaders admit redistricting fell short

* Kate Santaliz

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!Illustration of two hands holding markers like crossed swords, one marker is red one marker is blue.

*Illustration: Aïda Amer / Axios*

House GOP leaders are now openly acknowledging that their mid-decade redistricting push didn't work out as well as they'd hoped.

**Why it matters:** Republicans kicked off the redistricting wars hoping new maps would give them a bigger cushion against the historical headwinds facing the president's party.

* That advantage is looking a lot smaller than they envisioned.

**Driving the news:** House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) told Axios that Republicans won't win all 13 seats they'd hoped to gain from new maps.

* "We're not gonna win all 13 of those redistricted seats. That's correct. We're not," Emmer told Axios aboard a plane Thursday between campaign stops in North Carolina and Virginia.

* Emmer echoed House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), who told Axios last month that Republicans were unlikely to sweep all 13.

**Zoom in:** Emmer said he'd be "surprised" if Republicans sweep all five newly drawn seats in Texas and "shocked" if they win all four in Florida.

* But he said Republicans are certain to pick up newly drawn seats in Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee.
* At a fundraiser for Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) on Thursday, Emmer told donors that Republicans could also offset losses with pickups in Maine and potentially North Carolina, Ohio, New Mexico and Washington.
* Even assuming Republicans lose five seats because of redistricting in California and Utah, pickups elsewhere give the party a path to come out ahead, Emmer told donors.

**State of play:** Redistricting still gave Republicans an edge, just smaller than they once thought.

* The Cook Political Report now projects Republicans will net around four seats from redistricting alone, down from the double-digit gains Republicans once hoped to squeeze from new maps.
* Democrats' maps in California and Utah — in response to a new Texas map — offset the GOP gains. Some newly drawn Republican pickup opportunities have become more competitive than expected.

**The bottom line:** Democrats need to net just three seats to win the House, and the broader battlefield is moving in their direction.

* Cook shifted 15 House races toward Democrats last month, while Sabato's Crystal Ball moved 11 races toward Democrats days later.
* Many of the most competitive races are now in districts President Trump carried in 2024.

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Tags:#انتخابات أمريكية#الحزب الجمهوري#مجلس النواب#إعادة تقسيم الدوائر#السياسة الأمريكية#الانتخابات الوسيطة
Source: Axios

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