A new kind of political battle is emerging between America’s parties — one centers on the composition of Congress and congressional redistricting. This process usually occurs every decade, after the US Census finishes its work and releases new demographic information that states use to reconfigure how the 435 seats in the House of Representatives are divided among the 50 states.

But this month, Texas Republicans are scrambling those norms.

Republican lawmakers have begun fielding proposals for the GOP-controlled legislature to redraw their congressional maps in the middle of the decade to give the national party an advantage in the 2026 midterm elections.

It’s a blatant power play — jump-started by President Donald Trump’s desire to offset potential losses next year and win a bigger Republican majority in the House for the second half of his term. At the moment, it looks likely that Republicans might lose some ground in Congress, as has been the trend for presidents’ parties for the last 70 years.

This mid-decade redistricting effort is not the first time Texas Republicans have aggressively gerrymandered seats to boost their party’s representation in Congress, but it is abnormal for redistricting to happen this early, or as a direct response to a president’s wishes to gain an electoral advantage. And it doesn’t seem like Texas will be the only Republican-controlled state to try this.

This sudden gamesmanship is forcing national and state-level Democrats to consider their own tit-for-tat, mid-decade redistricting efforts — and to confront a harsh reality. Many Democrats lack the political will to bend norms in response to these Republican efforts. And those who do will face steep legal and political obstacles, including from their own party.

© Vox