# Did the Redistricting Wars Backfire on Republicans? In a Word, No.

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/did-the-redistricting-wars-backfire-on-republicans-in-a-word-no/
- Published: 2026-11-13T22:40:29+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T23:33:50+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Times (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/13/upshot/gerrymanders-midterm-elections-republicans.html
- Topics: Elections, Politics, World

## Key points

- New maps likely gave Republicans four to seven seats.
- Democrats’ gains did not mean the redistricting effort backfired.
- Texas Republicans won 24 seats despite losing the statewide House vote.

## Summary

Republicans’ mid-cycle redistricting did not backfire in the 2026 midterms, despite Democrats’ strong gains and victories in many districts the G.O.P. had targeted. A preliminary analysis estimates the new maps still gave Republicans four to seven more House seats than they would have won under the previous maps.

The effects varied by state: North Carolina may be a narrow exception, while Republicans gained from the new maps in Texas and Florida and are projected to in Louisiana. In Texas, Democrats won the statewide House vote by about six percentage points, but Republicans won 24 of 38 seats; estimates suggest a party-blind map could have given Democrats around nine more seats there. The analysis is preliminary because some votes and precinct results remain outstanding, and it argues that partisan maps more broadly may have denied Democrats nearly 20 seats in Texas, Florida and Georgia alone.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.