Trump and Johnson face escalating GOP revolt on redistricting

A growing number of blue-state House Republicans — at risk of being drawn out of their own seats — are speaking out against their party's mid-decade redistricting efforts.Why it matters: Their comments represent a sharp break with President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who have both endorsed efforts in Texas and other states to carve out more Republican House seats.Democrats in states like California and New York have threatened to respond in-kind by attempting to redo their maps.Caught in the crossfire are a cohort of blue-state Republicans, who tend to be more moderate than the average House Republican and often represent swingier districts.Driving the news: Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), a swing-district member, took a shot at Johnson on Tuesday, saying in a Fox News interview that he "needs to step up and show some leadership" on the issue."This is not something that is popular among members of our conference," added Kiley, who has introduced legislation to ban mid-decade redistricting in all states. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said Monday that he will introduce similar legislation after saying in PBS News interview over the weekend: "I don't think Texas should do it."Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) said in a Bloomberg interview: "I don't care if it's the Republicans or the Democrats that are doing it — it's wrong and it should not be done."What we're hearing: "It's gross. It's not the way we should do it," another House Republican from a blue state, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer candid thoughts, told Axios.The lawmaker proposed legislation to tell states: "'You don't get federal money unless you succumb to this fair, non-partisan way of drawing maps every 10 years.' Because it really is f***ing silly.""Politicians shouldn't be picking their voters," they added.The intrigue: These Republicans may be able to find support for their legislative efforts from centrists outside of blue states as well.Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who previously expressed concerns about the mid-decade redistricting efforts, told Axios he will "consider" Kiley's legislation.Democrats, though, are skeptical about Republicans' motives — noting their own failed efforts to outlaw gerrymandering in 2021 as part of a broader election reform bill that had no Republican support.Zoom out: Texas Republicans are forging ahead in their efforts to squeeze as many as five additional Republican seats out of their map by packing Democrats into as few districts as possible.Texas Democrats, with support from the national party, have fled to Illinois in an effort to deny Republican legislators the quorum they need to pass the maps.Several blue-state Democratic governors, including California's Gavin Newsom and New York's Kathy Hochul, have threatened to gerrymander their states in response to the GOP efforts in Texas. The other side: A Johnson spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in a CNN interview last month, the House speaker expressed skepticism about the idea of cracking down on partisan redistricting."The devil's always in the details ... some of these blue states have had [independent] commissions, and they have worked out so that they've eliminate Republican seats in their states," he said.Johnson has also wholeheartedly endorsed Texas Republicans' redistricting push, saying on Fox News: "We will probably have a few more seats out of that and, of course, that's good news for me."Trump has been a vocal cheerleader of the Texas efforts, urging GOP lawmakers to take a no-holds-barred approach to redrawing their map.

Comments

World news

Inside Ukraine’s effort to produce more of its own weapons to fight Putin as Trump’s support flip-flops

Independent

Comments

Similar News

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff visits Russia for talks over Ukraine war

Trump envoy Witkoff visits Moscow in last-ditch trip before sanctions deadline

Trump Sends His Envoy to Russia With Sanctions Deadline Looming

Trump envoy Witkoff in Moscow to press Putin on Ukraine war

India’s central bank holds rates amid rising Trump tariff tensions

Inside Ukraine’s effort to produce more of its own weapons to fight Putin as Trump’s support flip-flops

Despite Trump's peace calls, Russian attacks on Ukraine double since inauguration

Stay or go? Under Trump, dreams fade for Chinese who trekked to US

How Trump's secondary tariffs on Russia could hit the global economy

US labour data agency was teetering even before Trump fired its chief

Brazil's Supreme Court Orders House Arrest For Trump Ally Jair Bolsonaro

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump’s special envoy Witkoff in Moscow today as ceasefire deadline looms

As Trump cracks down on college student visas, other countries see opportunity

Carney vows $1.2 billion bailout for lumber sector hit by Trump tariffs

Trump wants to roll back $7 billion in grants for solar projects in low-income communities

More than 100 human rights abuses discovered in immigration detention since Trump took office, senate probe says

Trump: FBI "may have to" help bring back Texas Democrats who fled state

Trump admin pulls funding for new mRNA vaccines

How ethnic stereotypes underlie Trump's agricultural vision

News Corp’s Australian newspaper revenue falls as CEO warns Trump of AI’s ‘art of the steal’

World news

Inside Ukraine’s effort to produce more of its own weapons to fight Putin as Trump’s support flip-flops

Sweden, Norway and Denmark to buy $500 million of US arms for Ukraine war under new Nato scheme

Update in case of ‘Ketamine Queen’ accused of selling Matthew Perry fatal dose

E. coli outbreak in Florida linked to raw milk

Who are the biggest buyers of Russian oil?

Great Barrier Reef sees sharpest annual coral decline in nearly four decades

Hiroshima warns against nuclear weapons as it marks 80 years since atomic bomb

One person dies and hundreds flee after wildfires spread across France and Spain

The US, Russia and China are all wooing Syria – here’s what they really want

Home Office spends thousands on asylum hotel for politician able to pay £110k bail

Richard Osman: ‘My dad left and my food addiction began’

Britain has a giant rat problem – here’s why

Ollie Pope’s future and eight more Ashes questions hanging over England

Newcastle fans should be furious at club’s owners over Alexander Isak saga

Prince Harry’s African charity was ‘seriously mismanaged’ – four key findings

The laid-back ocean playground with coastal road trips and fresh shellfish

Do not let AI play with people’s lives

The Border Force question that brought home the reality of being a single parent