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House Republicans suffered a minor setback this week in the redistricting battle when two redistricting states reversed course.
Alabama and South Carolina were honored to receive new maps, but a court order and a move to end the process by lawmakers in the Palmetto State have, for now, scuttled the move. It comes as both sides of the field are in an arms race to redraw their maps to gain an advantage in the upcoming midterm elections.
While the South Carolina legislature chose not to go along with the redistricting, Republican leaders in Alabama asked the Supreme Court to review their new map after a lower court halted the process.
At stake in both states are two new House seats that could benefit Republicans as they fight to keep and grow their slim majority.
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President Donald Trump argued Thursday that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., should be charged with “inciting violence” after he promised to unleash “big fights” on Republicans by redistricting. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images; Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
But compared to the gains the GOP has made across the country in redistricting, especially after the Supreme Court's Voting Rights decision in April, Republicans aren't breaking a sweat.
“House Republicans are vying for power, they remain hidden in key battleground states, and they continue to benefit from a better battlefield than Democrats want to admit,” Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told Fox News Digital.
On the broad score sheet in the battle started by President Donald Trump and met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Republicans have the advantage.
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After the Supreme Court decision that issued a new map in Virginia that Democrats spent millions to create, Republicans are now looking at a possible gain of 16 seats compared to six for Democrats.
That comes from victories in Texas and North Carolina, as well as new maps in Florida, Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama – if the Supreme Court supports Republicans in Alabama.
The Democrats, although beaten by a large result in Virginia, gained a good five seats in California and face a battle in Utah to gain at least one more.
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Still, Democrats are hoping they can pick up ground in the fall.
Viet Shelton, a spokesperson for the Democratic DRM Campaign Committee, told Fox News Digital in a statement that voters “are ready to reject Trump and the Republicans for their broken promises on the economy, and they know it.”
“That's why they've given up on trying to win voters the right way, so they're using illegal fraud and voter suppression methods,” said Shelton. “The American people will not stand for you, and the Democrats are poised to take back the majority in November.”
Meanwhile, in the House, the Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus launched a working group, co-chaired by Reps. Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., and Ed Case, D-Hawaii, to address a problem that “has led to the worst acts across the country.”
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Hurd said in a statement that the new ban should be addressed with “transparency, consistency and respect for the law.”
“Congress representation must reflect the people and communities served, not the politics of whoever is in power,” said Hurd.
