1-minute guide to congressional redistricting amid new GOP push
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Louisiana lawmakers are set to redraw the state's congressional map, which will likely give Republicans another U.S. House seat.
Why it matters: It's part of a national effort, encouraged by President Trump, to redraw maps to benefit Republicans.
How it works: The U.S. House has 435 seats, which are divided among the states based on population.
- Case in point: Louisiana has six House seats.
- After each 10-year census, states are responsible for drawing their own congressional districts, usually through the state legislature, the U.S. Census Bureau says.
- The Constitution says the districts must be as equal in population as possible. However, it doesn't specify how that equality should be achieved, Caltech says.
Between the lines: Because lawmakers often draw their own districts, the process is inherently political.
- That dynamic can lead to gerrymandering, which is intentionally drawing districts to favor a particular political party, candidate or group, Caltech says.
- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that Louisiana's use of race in creating a second majority-Black congressional district was an "unconstitutional racial gerrymander."
The big picture: The new Supreme Court ruling could lead to Republicans gaining 19 more U.S. House seats nationally than under the 2024 maps, according to estimates from Black Voters Matter.
- Republican legislatures in 10 Southern states, including Louisiana, could redraw maps to wipe out 191 Democratic state seats held by Black lawmakers in majority-minority districts, the group says.
The other side: Democratic lawmakers across the country are considering redrawing maps in their own favor, write Axios' Andrew Solender and Justin Kaufmann.
- Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said after last week's Supreme Court ruling that she is "working with the Legislature to change New York's redistricting process so we can fight back against Washington's attempts to rig our democracy."
- Democratic redistricting is also possible in California, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Colorado, Wisconsin and Oregon.
- Here's the rundown of GOP and Democratic map gains.
The bottom line: What could lie ahead for America is a never-ending, zero-sum arms race to squeeze every last drop of partisan advantage out of every congressional map, Solender writes.
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