Democrats Face 'Stunning' Setbacks in Redistricting Wars

After last month's big win in Virginia, House Democrats could be forgiven for thinking the redistricting map wars were breaking their way. How quickly things have changed: Punchbowl News assesses a string of court moves and new GOP-drawn maps since then and concludes that as many as 10 seats could shift to Republicans in a worst-case scenario for Democrats. "We're not saying Democrats won't win the House," reads the analysis. "But the hill has gotten steeper."

The big drivers: the Supreme Court's recent narrowing of the Voting Rights Act, a hard-edged Florida map pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that could knock out four Democrats, and a Virginia Supreme Court signal that it may toss a voter-approved map designed to add up to four blue seats. In the South, Republicans in Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, and Mississippi are eyeing maps that could sideline Democratic incumbents. None of the new maps are final, and some face lawsuits, but the speed of the reversal is "stunning" in the eyes of Punchbowl News.