Donald Trump's bid to secure power for his party just backfired big time
In July last year, Donald Trump began a campaign that he hoped would lock up his party's control in Congress.
The president began to pressure states to redraw their congressional districts in a way that would favour Republicans.
Now his move has backfired big time, after Democratic states responded in kind in a way that gives them an advantage.
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Donald Trump pressured Republican states to redraw their congressional maps. AP
Yesterday, voters in the state of Virginia voted yes on a referendum that would allow for the redrawing of the state's maps, in a way that would likely give Democrats several extra seats.
The narrowly-passed referendum would reduce Republican-leaning seats from five to just one.
"While many expected Democrats to roll over and play dead, we did the opposite," party leader Hakeem Jeffries said.
Drawing congressional districts in a way that deliberately swings the outcome is known in the US as gerrymandering.
Unlike in Australia, most US states allow state legislators to draw congressional districts, as well as their own state-level districts.
The party in power in that state then has the power to draw districts in a way that favours them.
The redrawn map drew the ire of Republican Senator Ted Cruz.
"A brazen abuse of power and an insult to democracy," Cruz wrote on X.
"Forty seven per cent of (Virginia) voted Trump. They will now get just 9 per cent of the seats."
Virginia state senator Louise Lucas, who orchestrated the redraw, responded directly.
"You all started it and we f—ing finished it," she said.
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Donald Trump's popularity is now barely about 30 per cent. AP
Trump began his gerrymandering campaign by leaning on local politicians in Texas to do so.
"I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats," Trump said at the time.
The redrawing of the map split Democratic bastions in Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Dallas so they shared vast swaths of Republican-heavy territory elsewhere.
In response California Governor Gavin Newsom backed a referendum that would allow Democrats to gerrymander there.
The people of California then overwhelmingly voted for a map that cost Republicans five seats.
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The Texas mapmakers drew multiple tendrils into Dallas to place Democratic voters into heavily Republican districts. State of Texas
A redrawing in Missouri split Kansas City into three in a way that cost Democrats a seat.
And in North Carolina, a marginal Democratic seat was redrawn to favour a Republican.
But this week's result now puts Democrats ahead in the redrawing battle.
Republicans currently hold a four-seat edge in the House of Representatives.
In November's elections, Democrats are now heavily favoured to win thanks to the unpopularity of Trump.
If Democrats take control of the House, they could effectively stymie Trump's legislative agenda and block funding to many of his ambitions, including the war with Iran.
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