With the Texas Legislature in a special midterm redistricting session that is likely to end with a gain of around 5 House seats for Republicans, you can expect the legacy media to sound all manner of alarms signifying that what is routine under Democrats is an existential threat to Democracy when Republicans do it. CBS Evening News Plus has taken an early crack at redistricting.
Watch the report in its entirety, as aired on CBS Evening News Plus on Thursday, July 25th, 2025 (click “expand” to view transcript):
JOHN DICKERSON: Republicans can only afford to lose three seats in the House in next year's election, or they will lose control of the body. The president's party traditionally loses more than 20. To improve the odds, President Trump has been pressuring Texas Republicans to redraw congressional district maps to help the party win more seats in the midterm elections. Jason Allen is at the Texas Capitol, where lawmakers are meeting in a special session to debate the issue.
PROTESTER: This house!
PROTESTERS: Our House!
JASON ALLEN: Texas Democrats rallied in front of the state Capitol Thursday, nervous about what they see as a power grab.
BEOT O’ROURKE: Thick as thieves. They work on this right now in broad daylight before our eyes…
JASON ALLEN: Former Congressman Beto O'Rourke was among the Democratic leaders, urging voters to fight what they see as a state trying to influence the outcome of next year's midterm elections by redrawing congressional districts. It's usually done every ten years after a U.S. Census. The next one is not until 2030. Democrat state representative Gina Hinojosa.
GINA HINOJOSA: This is the beginning of that. Rigging the elections before they happen, so that there is a predetermined outcome and Republicans maintain control of Congress, which is right now in play.
ALLEN: President Trump is looking to pick up seats in multiple states to give Republicans an advantage. In Texas, lawmakers are looking around the edges of major cities where they may be able to flip seats from blue to red.
DONALD TRUMP: And in one case, it's 2 or 3. And Texas would be five.
ALLEN: Democrat state leaders expressed concern as the hearing opened Thursday.
BARBARA GERVIN-HAWKINS: I'm wondering: why must we do this?
CODY VASUT: It is prudent and proper for the legislative committees to take up the items that the governor has designated.
KYLE KONDIK: I could see why Republicans could look at this- the current map and say, hey, we could do better on this map than just having 25 seats.
ALLEN: Kyle Kondik is with the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. He points out Democratic-majority states like California could respond using the same tactic. Although its state constitution could make it more difficult. Redrawing maps also isn't without risk, creating a ripple effect on districts that parties already control.
KONDIK: …spreading out your voters a little bit more, you do run the risk of drawing some extra districts that you think you're going to win, but maybe you don't win.
ALLEN: And this has been a contentious hearing still happening just down the hall from us. Republicans have pointed out this is something Governor Greg Abbott asked them to take a look at after he received a letter from the Justice Department that said some current district maps, the way they're drawn up, may be unconstitutional because they're based on race.
DICKERSON: Jason Allen, in Austin. Thank you, Jason.
The report featured no substantive soundbite in favor of the redistricting other than the single line from President Trump and the state representative saying that it is proper for the legislature to consider items presented by the governor. On the other hand, it did feature plenty of Democrat soundbites against the redistricting, including perennial statewide and onetime presidential candidate Robert F. O’Rourke.
It is anchor John Dickerson’s framing that lays the premise of the report bare, though:
DICKERSON: Republicans can only afford to lose three seats in the House in next year's election, or they will lose control of the body. The president's party traditionally loses more than 20. To improve the odds, President Trump has been pressuring Texas Republicans to redraw congressional district maps to help the party win more seats in the midterm elections.
In sum: the mean Republicans are trying to deprive Democrats of their birthright- control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Of course, this is all hypocritical.
I do not recall similar media caterwauling over the Democrats redistricting the once-useful Adam Kinzinger out of a House seat in Illinois, making an already-crazy map totally insane. Nor do I recall any media outcry over the Democratic-run New York state legislature intervening in their redistricting process when the independent commission did not resolve redistricting to their satisfaction.
As with all things these days, what is normally a non-story for the media becomes one when a pro-Trump angle emerges. Redistricting is normally not a bid deal, but it’s (D)ifferent this time.
P.S: The media are hyping a potential California redistrict in response to these GOP efforts in Texas and elsewhere. No crying when Florida calls a special session.