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Black Democrats Fight for Political Survival in the South

July 11, 2026 at 4:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “The unprecedented mid-decade redrawing of maps by both parties has shaken voters across the country, but it is having an amplified impact in many Southern states where Black voters are set to lose power. Those states, including Alabama as well as Tennessee and Louisiana, have new freedom to draw maps without having to carve out majority-minority seats under rules that emerged from the civil-rights era.”

Filed Under: Democrats, Race, Redistricting

How Redistricting Squeezed House Democrats’ Fundraising

July 7, 2026 at 7:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Redistricting already reshaped the House map for the 2026 midterms. But for House Democrats, it means fewer incumbents are paying dues to the party’s campaign arm, and some are worried it could cause a cash crunch,” NOTUS reports.

Filed Under: 2026 Campaign, Redistricting

Progressive Wave Faces Redistricting Challenge

July 1, 2026 at 5:35 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “It’s no secret Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is spearheading a mid-decade redistricting drive to win control of the House. But the results of last week’s primaries in New York City add a new wrinkle to that project: How will he handle foes from within his own party?l

”On June 23, a trio of far-left congressional candidates routed establishment Democrats aligned with the Brooklyn lawmaker. Come 2028, when New York officials hope to redraw those three seats along with the rest of the state’s congressional boundaries, Jeffries would be one of the people influencing the process.”

Filed Under: Redistricting

Colorado Rejects Democratic Bid to Redraw Maps

June 29, 2026 at 3:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Colorado Supreme Court dealt a significant blow to Democratic hopes to redraw the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2028 election, finding that the twin ballot initiatives they had sought in order to redistrict in an off year had violated the state constitution,” the New York Times reports.

Filed Under: Redistricting

Colorado Redistricting Push at Risk from Court Slowdown

June 27, 2026 at 7:18 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Democrats behind a 2028 redistricting push in Colorado have grown increasingly concerned that the state Supreme Court’s delay in ruling on the validity of their ballot measures could endanger the effort,” the New York Times reports.

“Colorado is one of Democrats’ top targets in the next phase of the national redistricting wars, which resulted in a flurry of redrawn maps for the 2026 midterms but have now moved on to what more can be done in time for 2028.”

Filed Under: Redistricting

What if Both Parties Redistricted to the Max?

June 20, 2026 at 1:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Nathaniel Rakich: “It’s possible to imagine nearly three dozen states redrawing their congressional lines by 2030. That would reshape the battleground for House control, though not in the way some Democrats fear. It’s unlikely that Republicans would be able to construct for themselves a large, permanent structural advantage in House elections.”

“If both parties maxed out all the gerrymandering opportunities before them, the number of Democrats and Republicans sent to Congress might not change much. The number of competitive districts, however, would shrink to a mere handful. That would change American politics radically — and for the worse.”

Filed Under: Redistricting

Georgia Lawmakers Reject Redistricting

June 17, 2026 at 1:42 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Republican lawmakers in Georgia said Wednesday that they won’t redraw congressional and state legislative districts for the 2028 elections during a special session called by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, the AP reports.

Filed Under: Redistricting

Georgia Is Next In Redistricting Wars

June 17, 2026 at 7:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Georgia on Wednesday will become the latest Southern state to seize upon the recent Supreme Court decision on voting rights to consider redrawing its congressional lines to favor the Republican Party,” the New York Times reports.

“Gov. Brian Kemp has summoned lawmakers to the Capitol in Atlanta for a special session, aiming to lock in new federal and state legislative lines ahead of the 2028 elections.”

Filed Under: Redistricting

Redistricting Pits Wasserman Schultz Against Black Dems 

June 14, 2026 at 6:39 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Four Black Democrats running for Congress in the same South Florida district met last week for a highly unusual discussion. Should three of them drop out and rally around a consensus Black candidate in the Democratic primary against Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz?”

“Ms. Wasserman Schultz, who is white, had announced a few weeks earlier that she would run in the safely Democratic 20th Congressional District in Broward County, after Republican state lawmakers redrew Florida’s congressional map and eliminated her seat.”

“But the 20th District is historically Black and has elected a Black representative for decades. The Black Democrats running felt affronted by Ms. Wasserman Schultz’s decision to enter the race, especially with a spate of Republican gerrymanders across the South this spring almost certain to reduce Black representation in the House.”

Filed Under: 2026 Campaign, Redistricting

Taking Stock of the 2026 House Map

June 10, 2026 at 6:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “As redistricting for 2026 is likely coming to a close, 10 states drew new maps for 2026. Those states hold about 40% of all the nation’s House seats.”

“Redistricting did make the overall House map more favorable to Republicans. The median district by presidential performance is now VA-1, held by Rep. Rob Wittman (R). It is about 2 points to the right of the old median district, and it voted about 3.5 points to the right of the nation in the 2024 presidential election.”

“The number of the most competitive districts on paper declined from 85 to 70, although in 2026, Democrats may be able to win some districts that voted for Donald Trump by double digits in 2024—districts that in other years might not be winnable for them.”

Filed Under: 2026 Campaign, Redistricting

Dems Place Big Bet on Reshaping 2028 House Maps

June 9, 2026 at 12:22 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Axios: “Democrats are taking the fight over future House maps down ballot, with the super PAC Forward Majority planning to spend $30 million on two dozen state legislative races this year.”

“They’re betting that as few as eight statehouse races could help determine who controls redistricting for six U.S. House seats ahead of 2028.”

Filed Under: 2028 Campaign, Redistricting

Democrats Plan to Redraw Maps in 13 States

June 8, 2026 at 10:13 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Time: “Democrats are setting the stage to pursue redistricting efforts in as many as 13 states before 2028, redrawing congressional lines to secure potentially dozens of additional House seats, according to an internal strategy memo obtained exclusively by Time. To move forward on that plan, party strategists have a list of fewer than two dozen state legislative seats they need to flip in this year’s midterm elections.”

Filed Under: Redistricting

Black Representation or More Blue Seats?

June 4, 2026 at 1:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “The next act in the drama over Black representation will be driven in part by Democratic leaders, some of them Black, who face a difficult decision. Do they preserve the majority-Black, overwhelmingly Democratic districts in blue states like New York, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey?”

“Or do they maximize Democratic representation in the House by diluting urban districts dominated by Black voters and expanding their boundaries into the suburbs. Doing the latter would allow them to target Republican House members in those states.”

“Those new districts would remain Democratic, though less so, but they may no longer be majority-Black. So Black voters could lose power in two ways — by losing the number of districts they dominate and by losing the number of Black voices in Congress.”

Filed Under: Redistricting

Supreme Court Allows New Alabama Map

June 2, 2026 at 9:45 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for Alabama Republicans to remove the state’s second majority-Black congressional district for the midterms, handing the party a pickup opportunity in an apparent 6-3 vote,” The Hill reports.

Filed Under: Judiciary, Redistricting

New York Democrats Move to Join Redistricting Battle

June 2, 2026 at 6:52 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “Democrats have finalized their plans for a state constitutional amendment to change New York’s redistricting process — joining a national battle over drawing congressional boundaries.”

“The changes would enable Democrats to shift as many as four Republican-held House seats to their column in the 26-member delegation — giving the party a slight edge in a state with several swing districts.”

Filed Under: Redistricting

How California Redistricting Shrunk the Competitive Map

June 1, 2026 at 8:12 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Back in 2010, California created something many good government advocates had encouraged and many political incumbents feared: a nonpartisan redistricting commission. The people appointed to the panel were charged with drawing political maps in a way that did not favor one party over the other…”

“Then, last year, partisan redistricting wars ignited across the country. After Texas legislators redrew their state’s congressional districts to favor Republicans, Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed for voters to approve a plan that would allow California Democrats to do the same. They did, by a wide margin.”

“As a result, there are just four competitive congressional districts in the state and just four seats considered safe for Republicans. The rest of the state’s 52 members of Congress are all but certain to be Democrats.”

Filed Under: Redistricting

Louisiana Lawmakers Pass New Map

May 29, 2026 at 2:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Louisiana lawmakers passed a new congressional map Friday designed to pick up a Republican seat while leaving the state with just one of its two majority-Black House districts represented by Democrats,” CBS News reports. 

“Republican Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to sign the new map into law. Approval of the new House map came a month after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state’s current map as an illegal racial gerrymander, weakening the landmark 1965 federal Voting Rights Act.”

New York Times: “The new map is Louisiana’s response to the court’s ruling, which rejected its previous congressional map as an illegal racial gerrymander. After delaying the state’s U.S. House primaries and negotiating for weeks, the Republican-controlled Legislature settled on redrawing the district at the center of the ruling in a way that reduces the number of Black voters who live in it and hands Republicans a structural advantage ahead of the November midterms.”

Filed Under: Redistricting

Republicans to Finish Redistricting War 10 seats Ahead

May 28, 2026 at 7:18 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The coast-to-coast battle to gain an edge in November’s elections through partisan gerrymandering is racing to its conclusion – with Republicans poised to finish with as many as 10 seats ahead of Democrats through redistricting alone,” CNN reports. 

Filed Under: Redistricting

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About Political Wire

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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