US Redistricting Is Not Working Out as Republicans Hoped: Only 5 of 15 Drawn Seats Rated Safe
The Republican plan to keep control of the House in the US midterm elections was to redraw congressional district lines to favour the GOP and avoid the historical pattern of heavy midterm losses. President Donald Trump began pressuring Republican-led states to do just that last year, but it is not working out as expected.
Of the 15 districts drawn specifically to favour Republicans, only five are rated by the Cook Political Report as either likely or solid Republican. Most of the rest are now toss-ups or lean toward a Democratic win.
As a result, Republicans could be spending millions of dollars on House seats that were supposed to be easy wins, and end up losing them anyway.
North Carolina illustrates the picture. At an election rally on 20 October 2026 in Greenville, North Carolina, President Trump embraced State Representative Jennifer Balkcom and Laurie Buckhout. Buckhout is running in North Carolina's 1st District, which was redrawn to heavily favour Republicans and is now a toss-up.
