The fallout from Texas Democrats fleeing the Lone Star State and the state legislature moving forward with redistricting is still being felt across the nation.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, state constitution be damned, is moving forward with further gerrymandering of the Golden State to solidify the Democratic Party’s election stranglehold.
But the backlash is continuing to build in red states, and two more are jumping into the fray: Missouri and Indiana.
Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe announced Friday that the state is preparing to hold a special session to redraw congressional maps, with the likely result of shifting Missouri’s delegation in Washington from six Republicans and two Democrats to seven Republicans and one Democrat.
The plan specifically targets the Kansas City-area 5th Congressional District, which is currently represented by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. Kehoe released draft maps showing the proposed changes and confirmed that lawmakers will convene Wednesday.
Former President Donald Trump signaled this move was coming.
“The Great State of Missouri is now IN. I’m not surprised. It is a great State with fabulous people,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week. “I won it, all 3 times, in a landslide. We’re going to win the Midterms in Missouri again, bigger and better than ever before!”
With Republicans holding supermajorities in both chambers of the Missouri Legislature, the redrawn maps are expected to pass if GOP members remain united.
In Indiana, talk is growing that Republicans could move to eliminate the state’s two remaining Democratic congressional seats, potentially turning the map from 7–2 Republican to 9–0.
Gov. Mike Braun has not yet said whether he supports redrawing the maps, stressing that he is waiting to hear from legislative leaders before taking any action.
“I’ve been very clear on that issue. That hasn’t changed,” Braun told reporters. “You’re going to hear individual representatives and senators speak up, and the two leaders of each caucus … are going to put a lot of thought into what their own members are wanting to do, and that process will take a while to play out.”
Braun made clear he is deferring to House Speaker Todd Huston and Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, who have not announced their positions publicly.
“Once I get a clear message from (Bray and Huston), I’ll decide whether we’re going to call a session — or if there are other reasons why you’d need a session prior to what we’re going to be doing in January,” Braun said.
Indiana’s next regular legislative session begins in early January, with a ceremonial organization day scheduled for November.
Meanwhile, pressure from Washington continues to mount on Indiana Republicans to revisit the map, which was last drawn in 2021.
With California Democrats advancing new maps of their own and Texas Republicans already securing additional seats, GOP strategists see opportunities in other red states to gain as many as 15 House seats through redistricting before the 2026 midterm elections.
The maneuvering reflects how both parties are preparing for the next midterm cycle by seeking every possible advantage in congressional representation.
Redistricting has already shifted the balance in states such as Texas, which added Republican seats after Democratic lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to stop the maps by leaving the state in 2021.
California Democrats, meanwhile, are moving ahead with plans designed to protect and expand their numbers in the U.S. House.
Missouri Republicans say their special session will demonstrate that their state will not stand on the sidelines while other states redraw their maps.
Indiana Republicans are still divided, but the calls from party activists and national figures to act sooner rather than later are growing louder.
The outcome in both states will help determine how much the House balance of power shifts before voters go to the polls in 2026.