Amid GOP’s National Gerrymander, Democrats Push to Require Fair Maps

By Jim Saksa

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol September 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. Lofgren joined Democratic members of the House and Senate as they announced the introduction of bicameral legislation attempting to stop Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts in their favor before the upcoming midterm elections scheduled for 2026. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol September 18, 2025. Lofgren joined Democratic members of the House and Senate as they announced the introduction of bicameral legislation attempting to stop Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts in their favor before the upcoming midterm elections scheduled for 2026. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

As a redistricting war launched by President Donald Trump and the GOP continues to spread across the country, congressional Democrats offered a ceasefire deal Thursday — a new bill to ban mid-decade redraws and force states to adopt independent redistricting commissions. 

But so far no Republicans — not even those who in the past have introduced similar bills of their own — have signed onto the legislation as cosponsors. 

More than a dozen congressional Democrats gathered near the Capitol steps to announce the proposal. 

“What started in Texas has spread predictably to Missouri and Indiana, Florida and beyond, it’s become a race to the bottom to impress Donald Trump,” said Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a bill sponsor. “We believe in a better way forward. So, today, we’re offering Republicans this off-ramp.”

“Why is [Trump] doing this? Because of his unpopular policies — stripping health care from millions of people — he knows that rigging the process is probably the only way his party doesn’t lose control of Congress,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the bill’s lead sponsor  in the House. 

The legislation would ban mid-decade redistricting (unless it was ordered by a court) and require states to create 15-person, non-partisan commissions to draw congressional maps. 

The proposal was included in the larger voting reform and ethics package that Democrats managed to pass in the House in 2021 but couldn’t get past GOP filibusters in the Senate. Separating these provisions from the rest, Lofgren said, would hopefully inspire some Republicans to join the effort. 

Over the summer, Trump pressured Republicans in Texas to redraw their congressional maps for the explicit purpose of gaining five additional seats for the party in the upcoming midterm elections. Missouri’s GOP-dominated legislature also passed a new gerrymandered map last week to give the party another seat, and other red states are eyeing their own redistricting sessions. 

Democrats in California responded by passing a proposal to redraw their own maps to pick up five seats, which will now go before voters for approval in November. 

California’s actions led a few GOP representatives there to cry foul, along with some other blue state Republicans. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) introduced his own mid-decade redistricting ban bill in August. 

At Thursday’s press conference, Lofgren confirmed no Republicans have signed on as cosponsors yet, but said her office would reach out to Kiley and other Republicans. 

“Some Republicans in California can see a more challenging environment in their own districts, and they are talking a different game,” Lofgren said. “We would welcome their support.”

A recent poll commissioned by Common Cause found that 77 percent of Americans support requiring independent redistricting commissions.