WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday accused President Trump of attempting to “steal” and “rig” the 2026 midterms through gerrymandering — but refused to say if he and other New York Dems are planning on rejiggering the state’s congressional map.
“House Democrats are going to respond from coast to coast and at all points in between, as has been done in California, as has been done forcefully, immediately and appropriately to ensure that Donald Trump cannot steal the midterm elections,” Jeffries told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
But when host Dana Bash pressed Jeffries for specifics on what his home state of New York might try to counter GOP’s gerrymandering efforts, he dodged answering.
The Democrat instead went on a rant about Republican efforts in Texas and the Democrat counter-response in California.
Bash asked him again what he would do in New York, saying, “So if there’s not a plan yet in New York, is that what I’m hearing?”
Jeffries only said, “There’s a plan to respond as appropriately in New York and in other parts of the country as the circumstances dictate.”
Lawmakers from both parties have recently been trying to redraw congressional maps before the 2026 midterms to favor their political party, with the battle being most hot in Texas and California.
Texas Republicans approved a new map pushed by President Trump on Saturday after a fierce fight that had the state’s Democrats fleeing the statehouse to avoid voting. The map could help flip several seats in the tight upcoming midterms, with as many as five potential new wins for the GOP.
The newly drawn Texas map is already seen as a huge win for Republicans, who currently have just a three-seat majority in the House.
In California, Dem Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to offset the GOP inroads in Texas by putting a new congressional map to his voters.
The map, approved by the California legislature and set to be voted on by constituents in November, could give Democrats five seats in the House and exactly counter the GOP’s expected wins in Texas.
Other states could also see new maps on the table. Republicans in Indiana, Missouri and Florida have spoken about gerrymandering possibilities, while some Democrats in New York, Illinois and Maryland have done the same.
Despite Jeffries’ noncommittal stance on New York’s fight, Gov. Kathy Hochul has been publicly more in favor of Democrats going on the offensive and joining the gerrymandering battle.
“I’m tired of fighting this fight with my hand tied behind my back,” Hochul said at a press briefing Aug. 4. “With all due respect to the good government groups, politics is a political process.”
Hochul’s position favoring Democrats redrawing the map in New York ran counter to her opposition of Republicans doing the same in Texas.
New York Democrats introduced a state constitutional amendment in July that would allow lawmakers to change the state’s congressional map before 2028.
The amendment would have to be approved in 2026 by the state Legislature, and the text of the proposal prohibits Democrats from making partisan maps favoring either party.
But Hochul’s rhetoric appeared to push for more aggressive actions from Democrats.
“We’re sick and tired of being pushed around when other states don’t have the same aspirations that we always have,” Hochul said. “And I hold those dear.
“But I cannot ignore that the playing field has changed dramatically, and shame on us if we ignore that fact and cling tight to the vestiges of the past. That era is over — Donald Trump eliminated it forever.”
