U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) holds a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on January 5, 2026.
Joe Radle | Getty Images
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York on Monday promised a “massive Democratic redistricting counterattack” and said House Democrats would convene Thursday on the ongoing partisan gerrymandering war leading up to the 2026 midterm elections.
In a letter to the House Democratic Caucus, Jeffries called the meeting after a series of blows to the party over the past two weeks on the redistricting front. On Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court invalidated a referendum that would have allowed a new congressional map in the state that could have given Democrats up to four additional seats.
A week earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court weakened parts of the Voting Rights Act, paving the way for Republican-led states across the South to redraw their congressional maps and eliminate Democratic-controlled majority-minority districts.
Democrats were widely favored to take back the U.S. House of Representatives in November, but the decisions collectively strengthened hopes that Republicans would maintain their majority. Jeffries’ letter is the latest declaration from Democrats that they intend to fight back, whether in court, through legislation or by pursuing their own aggressive redistricting plans.
“A failed Republican majority will not be able to gerrymander back to power, even after being aided and abetted by blatantly undemocratic court decisions,” Jeffries wrote. “Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives in November.”
Rep. Joe Morrell, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, which oversees federal elections, is scheduled to lead a caucus-wide briefing on Thursday. Last week, Mr. Jeffries sent Mr. Morrell, also a New York state lawmaker, to his home state to discuss the possibility of redistricting in the 2028 election with Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators.
In his letter, Jeffries cited New York, Colorado, Washington, and Maryland as states that are “taking steps to respond decisively to what the U.S. Supreme Court has made clear.”
But Republicans have held a decisive advantage in partisan gerrymandering battles this election year, picking up 12 additional seats thanks to mid-decade redistricting, according to an analysis by Issue One, a nonpartisan group that aims to reduce the influence of money in politics.
Last week, Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed new maps for the state that remove the only Democratic-controlled district. Other Southern states, including Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina, have also taken steps to undraw their maps in response to the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling.
Despite these setbacks, Jeffries and Democrats continue to cite President Donald Trump’s soaring popularity ratings and growing frustration over the Iran war and rising prices as reasons for optimism.
“Donald Trump is deeply unpopular and the Republican Party has failed to improve the lives of Americans. Instead of changing course, extremists in the Republican Party are plotting to change the electoral makeup of districts across the country.”
