In redrawing their congressional maps, Democrats in California and Republicans in Texas are making the same bet: Things won’t get much worse for them in next year’s midterm elections than they were in 2024.

Both states’ legislatures last week approved new maps aimed at adding up to five more favorable US House districts for the parties pushing the changes. The Texas GOP’s redistricting effort came at President Donald Trump’s urging; the California Democratic maps were Gov. Gavin Newsom’s attempt to cancel Texas out.

The new maps are not yet guaranteed. Both face legal challenges, and in California, voters must sign off this fall on overriding the previous maps put in place by the state’s independent redistricting commission.

If both are in place, they would narrow the list of batt

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