Republican-Led States Push Mid-Decade Redistricting Ahead of 2026 Midterms

In 2025 and 2026, multiple Republican-led states pursued mid-decade redistricting of congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In Missouri, Governor Mike Kehoe called a special session of the General Assembly in late August 2025 to redraw the state's congressional map, aiming to create additional Republican-leaning districts; the proposal targeted the Democratic-leaning 5th congressional district. The announcement came the same day Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed new congressional maps into law. Kehoe signed Missouri's redrawn map into law on September 28, 2025. Following enactment, Missouri's new map faced legal challenges and a citizen-led ballot initiative effort that could suspend its use for the 2026 election, though the outcome of these challenges was not resolved as of the reporting. Separately, in Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp called for redrawing the state's congressional and state legislative maps, a move reported as following the broader trend among Republican-led states after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on redistricting. The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus responded by pledging to oppose any maps it views as diluting Black voting power. As of the available reporting, Georgia's redistricting process had not yet produced a finalized map, and the specific timeline for legislative action there was not detailed. In Missouri, the redrawn map remains contested, with pending litigation and a possible ballot referendum that could determine whether it takes effect for the 2026 elections. The precise Supreme Court ruling referenced in connection with Georgia's push, and its direct legal implications, were not specified in the available reports.