Democrats are claiming the Texas state legislature is attempting to “rig the midterm elections” despite an analysis demonstrating that Democrat-led states disenfranchise Republican voters on a massive scale through gerrymandering.
Across the nation, prominent (and ambitious) Democrat governors like Gavin Newsom (CA), J.B. Pritzker (IL), and Kathy Hochul (NY) are making political hay by claiming Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is committing an “insurrection” and disenfranchising Democrat voters in his heavily red state through his plan for a rare mid-decade redistricting that would net Republicans more seats.
Despite the performative pearl-clutching, the numbers show all three of those Democrat governors — and many more — benefit from aggressive gerrymandering and redistricting practices.
Conservative Texas, where over 56 percent voted for Trump in 2024, currently sends Republicans to represent 25 of its 38 congressional seats in Washington — with Democrats possessing a generous 34+ percent of the state’s congressional representation. Abbott is proposing new district maps that could net Republicans as many as five seats.
At present, Democrats, in the clear minority in Texas, have it much better than minority Republicans in states steered by Democrat governors and legislatures, with states that voted as high as 46 percent for Donald Trump sending zero Republicans to Congress, largely due to gerrymandering.
Even if Texas Republicans net five seats through redistricting, Democrats would retain over 21 percent of the state’s congressional representation, notably a higher percentage than Republicans possess in California.
Here are nine of the most egregious offenders, which demonstrate how Democrats have gained outsized congressional representation and power in Washington through aggressive maps — and how Republicans have ceded congressional power to Democrats on a massive scale by self-inflicted, timid redistricting.
Connecticut
Trump won just under 42 percent of the vote in the state, but Republicans have zero percent of the congressional seats, with Democrats holding all five of the state’s seats.
Democrats created this advantage by breaking apart Republican areas and adding Democratic portions of the Hartford area into those seats, watering down the voices of Republicans. The state’s 1st district, which forms a backwards “C” to cut out a handful of red counties, stands out as the most geometrically jarring of the gerrymandered districts.
New Mexico
Trump won just under 46 percent of the vote here, but Republicans have zero percent of the state’s three congressional seats.
Democrats have this advantage by breaking up historical communities in Southeast New Mexico that traditionally voted Republican, tactically splicing a handful of counties between districts.
California
Trump won 38 percent of the vote in the state, but Republicans only have nine out of fifty-two congressional seats — a paltry 17 percent of its seats, giving Democrats a staggering 21 percent cushion in congressional representation over actual voter alignment.
Democrats accomplished this through breaking apart Republican communities in Southern California and the Central Valley.
New York
Trump won 43 percent of the state, but Republicans only have seven out of twenty-six seats — less than 26 percent of the state’s congressional delegation, providing Democrats a 13 percent advantage in seats.
Democrats notably accomplished this through a mid-decade redistricting, which Democrats now claim is a criminal act.
Illinois
Trump won 44 percent of the vote in the state, but Republicans only won three out of seventeen seats, a 26 percent Democrat advantage
On Wednesday’s edition of CBS’s Late Show, Pritzker, the state’s governor, acknowledged that Illinois’ congressional maps look like kindergartners drew them.
Colbert asked, “If you’re considering doing a little more redrawing in Illinois, you already have some crazy districts in Illinois. Take a look at this. Look at [the 17th congressional district] here. It does that, then it comes up here and it sneaks around there and it goes all the way up here and then goes right over there like that. And look at this one, it kind of goes up there. It’s like the stinger on a scorpion down here. Is this common for all states to do?”
Pritzker remarked, “Well, we handed it over to a kindergarten class and let them decide. … That’s our independent commission.”
Maryland
Trump won 34 percent of the vote in the state, but Republicans only won one out of eight congressional seats, giving Democrats a 22 percent congressional advantage over their electoral performance in the 2024 presidential election.
Despite this, Democrat Gov. Wes Moore said he would consider “all options” regarding redistricting to retaliate against Texas’s redistricting, suggesting he could see to oust the state’s GOP Rep. Andy Harris through redistricting.
New Jersey
Trump won 46 percent of the vote in the Garden State, but Republicans hold only three out of twelve congressional seats, a 21 percent Democrat advantage in congressional representation over their share of the 2024 electoral pie.
Despite the huge advantage for his party, Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy refused to rule out retaliatory redistricting.
Oregon
Trump won 41 percent of the vote in Oregon, but Republicans only won one out of six seats, giving Democrats a 24 percent representational advantage over their 2024 presidential election results.
Democrats achieved their advantage in the state by splitting the liberal stronghold of Portland and its suburbs between four districts, sending additional Democrat voters to the 6th and, most notably, the 5th district, where current Rep. Janelle Bynum won a close race over incumbent Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer despite earning just 47.69 percent of the vote.
Massachusetts
Trump won over 36 percent of Massachusetts in 2024, yet Republicans hold zero percent of the gerrymandered state, with Democrats holding all nine seats.
In a sign of the performative nature of Democrats’ redistricting outrage, Gov. Maura Healey (D-MA) threatened retaliatory redistricting in response to Texas, despite none of the state’s heavily gerrymandered districts currently sending Republicans to Washington.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
