Trump, DeSantis advocate for redistricting ahead of midterms

The big picture: Republicans are hoping to pick off more than a half-dozen Democratic-held seats by redrawing congressional maps ahead of 2026.

Zoom in: In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said last week that it "would be appropriate to do a redistricting in the mid-decade" and that his administration was "working through what that would look like."

• Earlier this month, the Florida Supreme Court upheld a congressional map DeSantis spearheaded that helped Republicans flip the U.S. House in 2022, POLITICO reported.

The other side: "This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to rig the system and silence voters before the 2026 election," Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement.

Redistricting for partisan advantage is nothing new, but it's usually done after the census every ten years. The next one's scheduled for 2030.

• In Texas, Trump has encouraged Republicans to embark on a redistricting project that he's said could net the party as many as five seats.
• In Ohio, which is required by law to redraw its House map, party strategists believe they can gain two or three seats.
• In Missouri, Republicans believe they can pick up another seat.

The intrigue: Gov. Greg Abbott and other Texas Republicans were at first hesitant to take up redistricting, the Texas Tribune reported. After Trump's call to Abbott, it appeared on the special session agenda.

• Democrats, led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, have vowed to punch back by drawing roughly as many new Democratic seats.

Between the lines: The White House has no bigger priority in the midterms than keeping the House.

• Should Democrats seize the lower chamber, it would paralyze Trump's legislative agenda for his final two years in office and potentially lead to his impeachment.
• Trump was impeached following the 2018 midterms, when Democrats won the House majority.