17 former swing districts — out of a total of 90 in 2021 — are now more favorable for Republicans after lines were redrawn through redistricting, according to the new 2022 Cook Partisan Voter Index and analysis from Cook Political Report's Dave Wasserman.
Why it matters: Republicans had the power to draw maps in more states than Democrats, helping them solidify seats they already hold and potentially pick up more in November.
By the numbers: Nine of the 17 swing districts that moved right after redistricting are in Texas.
- Meanwhile, just seven competitive seats were drawn to be more favorable for Democrats — all of them are now too Democratic-leaning to be considered swing districts, according to Cook's criteria.
- Wasserman points out that even those bluer seats were drawn mostly to allow for more solidly Republican seats nearby.
The bottom line: After redistricting, the number of hyper-competitive House seats declined from 51 to 45 — Cook Political Report's lowest count ever.