Texas Republicans are once again redrawing congressional maps, and the backlash has been swift. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared the move an attempt to rig the 2026 elections, while national Democrats have sounded alarms about democratic collapse. But this latest round of hysteria is deeply misleading to voters who may not know the history of redistricting and gerrymandering.
Mid-decade redistricting is not new, and it’s certainly not exclusive to Republicans. What’s happening in Texas is not a constitutional crisis. Rather, it’s a predictable outcome of a broken system that both parties constantly exploit, whether through legislative or legal battles.
Let’s start with the basics: Gerrymandering is bad. It distorts representative democracy by allowing politicians to choose their voters instead of the other way around. It entrenches incumbents, discourages competition and fuels polarization. Whether done by Democrats or Republicans, it’s a cynical manipulation of electoral boundaries that undermines public trust. And yet, despite decades of public frustration, Congress has failed to outlaw it.
Democrats, for example, have used mid-decade redistricting to great effect, often by fighting Republican-drawn maps in court. As a result, several states adopted new maps between the 2010 and 2020 censuses. These changes had clear partisan consequences and likely helped preserve the Democratic House majority in 2020. Without those mid-decade redraws, Republicans may well have taken control of the House much sooner.
Now, as Texas Republicans pursue a similar strategy, Democrats are crying foul. But the outrage is selective. In New York, Democratic lawmakers have proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow mid-decade redistricting if another state does it first — a direct response to Texas. The bill would bypass the state’s independent commission and return map-drawing power to the legislature. California officials have hinted at similar moves. Do two wrongs make a right?
This double standard undermines the credibility of those who claim to champion fair representation. When Democrats gerrymander, it’s often framed as a necessary bulwark against conservative extremism. When Republicans do it, it’s treated as a democratic emergency. But the tactic is bipartisan, even if the outrage isn’t.
The real scandal isn’t that Texas Republicans are redrawing maps. It’s that we still allow gerrymandering at all. Until we demand reform across the board, we’ll continue to see politicians exploit the system and voters left wondering whether their voice truly matters.
If Newsom and other critics are serious about reform, they should advocate for a national standard — one that applies equally to red states and blue states. It also means calling out abuses wherever they occur, not just when they serve partisan narratives.
Let’s stop pretending that redistricting and gerrymandering are Republican inventions. They are both American problems. And it’s long past time we treated them as such.
Julian Baron is a contributor to The Baltimore Sun editorial board.
