The country’s two biggest states are locked in a political contest that reflects the uncompromising polarization of our time: Texas and other Republican strongholds are redrawing congressional district maps to win more seats in the 2026 election, and California is now considering a similar move, hoping to offset Texas by sending more Democrats to Washington, D.C.
It’s an arcane fight, using the peculiar processes of gerrymandering to press for maximum political power. But the stakes are incredibly high, says UC Berkeley political scientist Eric Schickler. While a ballot measure to redraw California’s maps — Proposition 50 — is polling fairly well ahead of the Nov. 4 election, he said, the conflict has broad implications for democracy.
“Republicans are making it clear,” Schickler said in an interview. “They’re going to push every advantage they have now in order to hold onto the House of Representatives. And Democrats basically have a limited set of options to counter them.”