Some House lawmakers are begging their leaders to call off the 2026 redistricting free-for-all. But it already looks too late.

• Why it matters: For House incumbents, their seats suddenly look less safe. For governors, there's every possible incentive to lean into naked partisan warfare.

Zoom in: Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) plans to introduce legislation to ban mid-decade redistricting efforts nationwide, we reported earlier today.

• The bill would "stop a damaging redistricting war from breaking out across the country," Kiley said in a press release previewing the measure.
• He's got a few moderate allies, but the bill is highly unlikely to pass the House — let alone become law.

Zoom out: President Trump, with support from House Speaker Mike Johnson, has urged Republicans to go all-in to redistrict more House seats in the GOP's favor.

• In their big prize of Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state's Department of Public Safety today to track down Dems who've fled the state to deny the GOP a quorum on a redistricting vote.
• Ahead of that order, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Abbott "cowardly" today for his threats to crack down on Dems.

💣 "We are at war," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said today. "And that's why the gloves are off."

• "I'm tired of fighting this fight with my hand tied behind my back," said Hochul, who said she's prepared to get rid of the state's commission that draws congressional districts.

What's next: The DNC is joining the fight from Chicago tomorrow, as we scooped earlier tonight.

• DNC Chair Ken Martin and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will host a press conference with Texas Democrats who've evaded quorum.

— Andrew Solender and Stef Kight

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is interviewing campaign managers for a possible 2026 comeback bid, we scooped this afternoon.

Why it matters: Brown would be another marquee recruit for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who made two trips to Ohio this summer to persuade Brown to enter the race.

• Brown, a three-term senator, lost Ohio by under four percentage points in 2024, when Vice President Harris lost to President Trump by 11 points. Brown had told donors beforehand he would have a chance if Harris lost by eight points or less.
• If he makes a final decision to enter the race, Brown would join former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who announced his Senate campaign last week, as two of Schumer's top prospects to eat into the GOP's margins in 2026.

Zoom out: Schumer knows that Brown is likely his best shot at running a competitive campaign in Ohio next year, as the state moves away from the Democratic Party.

• Brown would face Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who was appointed to fill the vacant seat created when JD Vance resigned from the Senate to serve as vice president.
• Husted will come to his first Senate election with the Republican Party fully behind him and the financial resources to prove it.
• Husted raised $2.9 million in the second quarter of the year, leaving him with $2.6 million cash on hand at the beginning of July.

Zoom in: Schumer has been courting Brown at every opportunity, including in Ohio last week, we first reported.

• Given Brown's long-standing pro-tariff and trade-skeptical positions, Democrats think he can outperform a generic Democrat and appeal to some MAGA voters.

— Hans Nichols and Stephen Neukam