Redistricting war isn’t over, Dems say. Planning huddle this week in D.C.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) on Monday vowed a “massive Democratic redistricting counterattack” and said House Democrats will meet on Thursday on ongoing partisan gerrymandering wars ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

In a letter to the House Democratic caucus, Jeffries called for the meeting following a series of blows to the party on the redistricting front over the past two weeks. The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a referendum that would have allowed new congressional maps in the state that would have given Democrats four more seats.

A week earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court had weakened part of the Voting Rights Act, clearing the way for GOP-led states in the South to redraw congressional maps and eliminate Democratic-controlled majority-minority districts.

Democrats had been widely favored to regain the U.S. House of Representatives this November, but taken together, the decisions bolstered Republicans’ hopes of retaining their majority. Jeffries’ letter is Democrats’ latest declaration that they plan to fight back in the courts, through legislation or by pursuing their own aggressive redistricting agenda.

“Even after being aided and abetted by patently undemocratic court rulings, the failed GOP majority will not return to power,” Jeffries wrote. “Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives in November.”

Rep. Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal elections, will help lead the chamberwide briefing on Thursday. Jeffries also sent fellow New York lawmaker Morelle to their state last week to talk with Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers about the possibility of redistricting for the 2028 elections.

Jeffries noted in his letter that New York, Colorado, Washington and Maryland “have taken steps to respond decisively to what the U.S. Supreme Court has unleashed.”

But this election year, Republicans now have a decisive edge in partisan gerrymandering battles, picking up as many as 12 additional House seats thanks to mid-decade redistricting, according to an analysis by Issue One, a bipartisan group that aims to reduce the influence of money in politics.

Last week, Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a new map for the state that eliminates the only Democratic-held district. Other Southern states, including Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina, also took steps to remove the artwork from their maps following the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act decision.

Despite these setbacks, Jeffries and Democrats continue to cite President Donald Trump’s declining positive ratings, growing frustration with the war in Iran and rising prices as reasons for optimism.

“Donald Trump is very unpopular, and Republicans have failed to make life better for the American people. Instead of changing direction, GOP extremists plan to change the electoral composition of districts across the country,” he said.