GOP redistricting plans infuse energy into midterm campaigns while Trump’s popularity wanes

Republicans have recently secured several redistricting wins, which could boost their chances of maintaining control over the House this fall despite President Donald Trump’s record-low popularity.

The GOP was handed a victory late last month when the Supreme Court struck down race-based gerrymandering by weakening the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in the Louisiana v. Callais decision. Shortly thereafter, Louisiana suspended its House primary elections to redraw its congressional map.

The ruling also emboldened other red states, such as Tennessee and Florida, to proceed with their own redistricting plans.

And on Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the state’s voter-approved redistricting amendment that would have given Democrats a 10-1 advantage in the House was unconstitutional. As a result, Virginia Democrats are forced to stick with their 6-5 advantage through the midterm elections and the rest of the decade.

When all is said and done, Republicans could gain anywhere from five