Read More: Inside the Democrats' Plans to Take On Trump

Here are some of the places where Democrats prevailed despite maps that were redrawn to favor Republicans—and why experts believe those maps failed to help the GOP add seats as they were intended to.

The mid-cycle redistricting battle started last year in Texas, where Republican lawmakers redrew the state’s congressional maps with the aim of netting the GOP up to five additional seats. When Election Day came, however, Democrats won in several redrawn districts. 

Jones says that redistricting in Texas ultimately failed to produce the hoped-for results because it was based on the preferences of a key voting population from two years ago.

Many of the districts have high populations of Latino voters, who contributed to Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election but appear to have shifted notably toward Democrats in the midterms. 

“Virtually the entire Texas redistricting plan was based on the premise that Latino voters, in particular, and other voters in general, would behave … like voters in 2024,” Jones says. He notes how much has changed since 2025 to make the President more unpopular, citing the war in Iran, Trump’s tariffs, his handling of the economy, and his aggressive immigration crackdown. These policy points, “combined with the president's combative nature and polarizing rhetoric and actions,” Jones says, “simply alienated a large number of independent voters who, in 2024, here in Texas, voted for the President.”