GOP redistricting strategy crumbles as blue wave sweeps across the map

Republican efforts to boost their party’s chances to hold the House majority appeared to falter in Tuesday night’s elections, with several Democrats holding on to seats redrawn to favor the GOP.Republicans entered the election with a slight redistricting advantage, with new congressional maps projected to net the party roughly three seats. But in a national environment that favored Democrats, Republicans did not see the gains they hoped for under the redrawn maps.In Florida, Democrats have won at least three out of four seats redrawn to favor the GOP, with Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Kathy Castor (D-FL), and Democratic candidate Pia Dandiya winning on Tuesday. The fourth seat, represented by Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL), has yet to be called, but the Democrat currently leads his opponent Republican Dan Green by less than a percentage point. In Alabama, Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures won a second term despite Republicans’ efforts to draw him out. North Carolina’s Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) also held on to his 1st District seat, even though Republicans in the state redrew it to be more competitive for the GOP.In Texas, where the GOP-led state legislature redrew the map to give Republicans an edge in five districts, Democrats are expected to hold onto at least three of them. Reps. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), and Democrat Johnny Garcia, running in the 35th District, all won their races in territory that voted for President Donald Trump in 2024.A Republican campaign operative told the Washington Examiner that despite the heavy losses seen by Republicans in the 2026 elections, the redistricting effort was aimed at creating more “offensive opportunities” for Republicans.“And that’s what it provided,” the campaign operative said. “Yes, we came up short but that wasn’t due to redistricting failures, it was a total wipeout across the board.”Democrats, meanwhile, are celebrating the victories seen by the party in redistricted seats and beyond. At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, the top campaign Democrat, Suzan DelBene (D-WA), said Republicans’ “gerrymandering scheme absolutely backfired.”“It should send a strong message to any Republican thinking of pursuing any more gerrymanders next year,” DelBene told reporters. “They do so at their own peril because it’s clear that the American people hate it when politicians try to pick their voters.”“It’s Trump,” the aide said. “This isn’t complicated. Iran, gas prices, tariffs. This is about Trump.”Trump, for his part, has refused the blame for Republicans’ midterm losses, writing in a Truth Social post Tuesday night that he “wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!”Lauren Green contributed to this article.