Trump redistricting push falls short as Dems hold GOP midterm targets

( NewsNation ) — Republicans only won two of the 15 U.S. House seats they aimed to gain through newly redrawn district maps in this year's midterm election.

The push by President Donald Trump saw Republicans spend the year approving new congressional maps, but many of the seats the GOP hoped to flip turned blue despite those efforts.

Democrats have won 11 seats in redrawn districts as of Wednesday. Democrats also won all six seats they were positioned to gain from new maps, including five in California redrawn in response to Trump's efforts and one in Utah , which was court-ordered.

The results arrived as NewsNation election partner Decision Desk HQ projected Democrats would control both the House and Senate.

Republicans' biggest setback came in Texas, where Trump said the party was "entitled" to five more seats. Republicans ultimately won one of the five seats and lost two they already held.

In Florida , Republicans targeted four Democratic seats but did not win any. Republicans did, however, gain seats in north Texas and Tennessee.

Redistricting in Louisiana , Alabama , Ohio and Utah were not the result of Trump's push. Courts also blocked Missouri's new map for this election. Virginia's Supreme Court struck down Democrats' redrawn map after it was approved by voters, which could have added four Democratic seats.

How many House seats did the GOP gain from redistricting?

The GOP has won two seats so far, which could rise if Republicans win a runoff in Louisiana — the state's House races were delayed due to a legal battle over redistricting.

How does a wave election flip gerrymandered seats?

Republicans built their maps around Trump's 2024 results, and many Texas targets relied on Latino voters who had moved toward him, but many of those voters backed Democrats this year, resulting in a blue wave.

Redrawing maps can weaken incumbency advantage

Sitting members of Congress often have an edge because voters are more familiar with them, but new lines can disrupt that relationship by adding voters who don't know them. About 71% of voters in Tennessee's new 9th District were new to it , according to Reuters.

Did mid-decade redistricting create a 'dummymander?'

A "dummymander" is a map drawn to help a party that ends up hurting it, often because the party spread its voters too thin, so they can't decide any single race. Trump's redrawn maps spread conservative supporters across more districts, which is sometimes referred to as "cracking" a district.

The push added seats but did not protect the GOP's House majority.