'Should not have opened that box': House Republicans condemn gerrymandering 'debacle'

U.S. President Donald Trump walks on the day of a "One Big Beautiful" event at the White House in Washington, DC., U.S., June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

When President Donald Trump called on the Republican-controlled Texas legislature to redraw new U.S. House of Representatives district maps earlier this year, he expressly hoped GOP lawmakers could find five additional Republican seats by carving up Democratic districts. But after federal judges in Texas ruled those maps illegal, some House Republicans are railing against the entire effort.

Politico reported Tuesday evening that the recent 2-1 decision by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas has some Republicans bemoaning the apparent failed effort in the Lone Star State to give Republicans an advantage ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) told reporters that House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) refusal to denounce the redistricting push was a "total failure of leadership." Other Republicans are also speaking out against GOP-led gerrymandering efforts.

"I was never in favor of doing all this redistricting stuff anyway," Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) told Politico. "Should not have opened that box."

Kiley's California district is likely to flip Democrat in the wake of https://www.alternet.org/newsom-texas/, which Golden State voters approved by massive margins earlier this month. The Texas decision only applies to the Lone Star State's new maps and will not impact the new temporary maps created by Prop 50, where Democrats are expected to flip five total seats next year. California-based Republican strategist Rob Stutzman called the Texas gerrymandering gambit a "possible debacle" if the Supreme Court decides to uphold the lower court's ruling.

"This will have been a ready, shoot, aim exercise by Trump," Stutzman said.

Should the Texas decision be upheld, the Lone Star State will revert to its 2021 maps, meaning Reps. Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) will no longer be pitted against one another to remain in office. Doggett quoted author Mark Twain on Tuesday, saying "the reports of my death, politically, are greatly exaggerated." Other Texas Democrats like Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) — who has been contemplating a U.S. Senate run — will also be able to run for another term in their respective districts.

Trump's effort to gerrymander Democrats out of their seats in red states has already been running into significant obstacles, as Indiana Senate president pro tempore Rodric Bray said recently he did not have the votes to pass gerrymandered maps through his chamber. New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) has also poured cold water on Trump's redistricting campaign despite her state having a Republican trifecta government, saying earlier this year it was "not on the top of [voters'] priority list."

Click here to read Politico's full report.

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