Trump faces escalating GOP revolt on redistricting
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House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Trump speak to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on May 20. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
A growing number of blue-state House Republicans — at risk of being drawn out of their own seats — are speaking out against their party's mid-decade redistricting efforts.
Why it matters: Their comments represent a sharp break with President Trump, who has endorsed efforts in Texas and other states to carve out more Republican House seats.
- Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has also spoken positively about the Texas redistricting, saying on Fox News: "We will probably have a few more seats out of that and, of course, that's good news for me."
- Democrats in states like California and New York have threatened to respond in-kind by attempting to redo their maps.
- Caught in the crossfire are a cohort of blue-state Republicans, who tend to be more moderate than the average House Republican and often represent swingier districts.
Driving the news: Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), a swing-district member, took a shot at Johnson on Tuesday, saying in a Fox News interview that he "needs to step up and show some leadership" on the issue.
- "This is not something that is popular among members of our conference," added Kiley, who has introduced legislation to ban mid-decade redistricting in all states.
- Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said Monday that he will introduce similar legislation after saying in PBS News interview over the weekend: "I don't think Texas should do it."
- Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) said in a Bloomberg interview: "I don't care if it's the Republicans or the Democrats that are doing it — it's wrong and it should not be done."
What we're hearing: "It's gross. It's not the way we should do it," another House Republican from a blue state, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer candid thoughts, told Axios.
- The lawmaker proposed legislation to tell states: "'You don't get federal money unless you succumb to this fair, non-partisan way of drawing maps every 10 years.' Because it really is f***ing silly."
- "Politicians shouldn't be picking their voters," they added.
The intrigue: These Republicans may be able to find support for their legislative efforts from centrists outside of blue states as well.
- Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who previously expressed concerns about the mid-decade redistricting efforts, told Axios he will "consider" Kiley's legislation.
- Democrats, though, are skeptical about Republicans' motives — noting their own failed efforts to outlaw gerrymandering in 2021 as part of a broader election reform bill that had no Republican support.
Zoom out: Texas Republicans are forging ahead in their efforts to squeeze as many as five additional Republican seats out of their map by packing Democrats into as few districts as possible.
- Texas Democrats, with support from the national party, have fled to Illinois in an effort to deny Republican legislators the quorum they need to pass the maps.
- Several blue-state Democratic governors, including California's Gavin Newsom and New York's Kathy Hochul, have threatened to gerrymander their states in response to the GOP efforts in Texas.
The other side: A Johnson spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in a CNN interview last month, the House speaker expressed skepticism about the idea of cracking down on partisan redistricting.
- "The devil's always in the details ... some of these blue states have had [independent] commissions, and they have worked out so that they've eliminate Republican seats in their states," he said.
- Trump has been a vocal cheerleader of the Texas efforts, urging GOP lawmakers to take a no-holds-barred approach to redrawing their map.
Editor's note: This article and headline have been updated.
