Overview
The Democratic playbook will look different in 2028. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is leading a campaign to redraw congressional blue state districts. This is expected to help Democrats get more seats in the House.
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a Congressional Black Caucus news conference
In the last month alone, two courts have made rulings that could strip Democrats of up to 10 seats. Jeffries plans to spend millions of dollars in a campaign to promote blue states’ gerrymandering, just like what’s happening in red states.
The target states include New York, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, and Maryland. These are the states that he believes have “good governance” or non-partisan rules.
For New York, he is pushing for new lines that could eliminate seven Republican seats. 4 seats for Colorado and an end to partisan map-drawing in Washington. He plans to use Oregon, Illinois, and Maryland to counter the gains made by Republicans in the South.
This new strategy may not get the full support of the party. There is talk of using the primaries to eliminate lawmakers who attempt to block the move. Leaders who refuse to redraw maps may be denied participation at the next DNC.
The pressure appears to be working. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has expressed support for the redistricting strategy, as has Alabama Rep. Terri Sewell. Terri said that. “We’re going to play their game and beat them at it.”
Last month, the Supreme Court struck down a new majority-Black district in Louisiana for being racist. This ruling gave the GOP an opportunity to get more districts in the Southern states.
At the same time, the apex court in Virginia quashed a voter-driven redistricting plan that would have created four seats for Democrats. The plan failed on a technicality that lawmakers had ratified it while voting was already happening. As this happens, Republicans have already eliminated many Democratic seats in Tennessee and Florida by enacting new maps using the same rules that hold back Democrats.
This strategy has been called a “race to the bottom” in some circles. The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has warned that the massive remapping may dilute minority districts and affect representation. 19 CBC seats face imminent risk across the country.
CBC Chair Yvette Clarke emphasizes that while they want to protect Black-majority seats, they also realize that without getting more Democratic seats in the House, they don’t stand a chance at stopping controversial Republican policies. “The idea here is that to protect Black voters… is to make sure we have a Democratic majority,” Clarke said.
If this strategy succeeds, the United States congressional districts will have a very different picture come 2028. This push-started last summer when POTUS pressured Texas and Florida to redraw their lines. It’s now become a lasting feature of number-driven politics.
Jeffries will try to make sure that the next Speaker is a Democrat. With his aggressive and urgent moves in New York and Oregon, he may be able to fortify against the GOP. The 2026 midterms are coming up first in November, and everyone is reminded that non-partisan map drawing appears to be a thing of the past.