A nationwide redistricting battle is unfolding, largely encouraged by President Donald Trump, as Republican-led legislatures across several states face growing pressure from the former president and his allies to create additional GOP-leaning congressional districts and solidify the party’s House majority.
In North Carolina, Republican lawmakers advanced a new congressional map, joining a series of states—including Texas and Missouri—undertaking aggressive redistricting efforts ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The proposed map would target the district currently represented by Democratic Rep. Don Davis and give Republicans a likely advantage in 11 of the state’s 14 House seats, up from the current 10.
Once enacted, North Carolina’s new map would bring the number of newly drawn, Republican-favored districts nationwide this year to seven.
Meanwhile, in California, likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender and current Gov. Gavin Newsom is seeking to redistrict his state in a bid to counter the GOP-led effort throughout the country. A ballot issue set for a vote in November will determine whether the state assembly will be able to temporarily sideline California’s independent redistricting commission so that they can add five Democrat-leaning districts.
North Carolina has become the latest GOP-controlled state to launch a mid-decade redistricting effort — a process that has historically been uncommon, CNN reported.
North Carolina Sen. Ralph Hise, a Republican involved in overseeing the redistricting process, emphasized the high stakes of the effort in blunt terms.
“The motivation behind this redraw is simple and singular: draw a new map that will bring an additional Republican seat to the congressional delegation,” he said.
If Democrats take control of the House, they will “torpedo President Trump’s agenda,” Hise noted further, per CNN.
State lawmakers convened their first public meeting on the new congressional map Monday morning and approved the proposal in the state Senate the following day, despite strong opposition from Democrats and protesters who gathered at the Capitol in Raleigh.
The measure now heads to the state House for consideration.
Under North Carolina law, Democratic Gov. Josh Stein does not have the authority to veto redistricting plans, CNN said.
North Carolina remains a battleground state, with Democrats such as Stein and former Gov. Roy Cooper winning statewide elections in recent years. However, Republican leaders this week defended the newly drawn congressional map’s partisan tilt, arguing that it reflects Trump’s continued electoral successes there.
“This new map respects the will of the North Carolina voters who sent President Trump to the White House three times,” the state Sen. Phil Berger, the top Republican in the Senate, said in a statement, according to CNN.
Republican lawmakers in Texas initiated the latest round of redistricting earlier this year with a map designed to create five additional GOP-leaning congressional districts. In Missouri, Republicans approved new district boundaries aimed at adding one more Republican seat to the state’s delegation.
Both maps face ongoing legal challenges, and in Missouri, activists have launched a petition drive seeking to overturn the new plan.
Republicans currently hold a structural advantage in the redistricting process, controlling the governor’s office and both legislative chambers in 23 states, compared with 15 under full Democratic control.
Several other GOP-led states are also considering new congressional maps. In Kansas, lawmakers have allocated $460,000 to fund a potential special session aimed at redrawing district boundaries that could affect the state’s lone Democratic member of Congress, four-term Rep. Sharice Davids.
Calling such a session would require approval from two-thirds of both the state House and Senate.
In Indiana, where Republicans currently hold a 7–2 advantage in the U.S. House delegation, the White House has reportedly encouraged GOP lawmakers in the state legislature to pursue an additional seat held by Democrats. Vice President J.D. Vance has made two visits to the state to discuss the effort with legislators.
Meanwhile, Ohio and Utah—both under Republican control—remain engaged in ongoing redistricting disputes that began prior to Trump’s return to office.
Conservative commentator Stephen Crowder is once again putting Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) back in the spotlight, repeating claims that the congresswoman married her brother to help him immigrate to the United States.
“Here’s a fun fact. You married your brother!” Crowder said in a recent video, citing documents he claims to have reviewed. His remark reignited the long-running controversy that Omar has consistently dismissed as a smear campaign.
Crowder, who has made a career out of challenging the left, argued that the evidence surrounding Omar’s 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen, raises serious red flags. “Marital records don’t lie,” he said.
Omar has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying in 2019: “These baseless rumors are absolutely false and offensive.” She has maintained that her marriage history is being weaponized by political opponents.
Still, conservative voices like Crowder remain unconvinced. “If it wasn’t her brother, why has she gone to such lengths to hide records?” Crowder asked his audience, pointing to gaps in Omar’s public disclosures.
Omar’s 2009 marriage ended in 2017 when she and Elmi officially divorced. The timeline has fueled speculation among critics who argue that the marriage was never legitimate in the first place.
“The evidence keeps piling up,” Crowder said. “And every time, the mainstream press looks the other way.” His frustration echoes the views of many on the right who believe the media has protected Omar from real scrutiny.
Omar herself has described the rumors as part of a larger racist and Islamophobic campaign against her. “It’s disgusting to lie about immigrants in this way,” she told the