Gov. Kathy Hochul open to redistricting New York amid Trump push for Republican seats

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Jul 24, 2025

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NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday said she’s open to congressional redistricting in New York to boost Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections amid President Trump’s push to redraw red states like Texas to help Republicans keep control of the House.

With Trump aiming to squeeze at least five more GOP seats in the Lone Star State, Hochul said Democrats should be open to hitting back by redrawing New York’s 26 districts to benefit Team Blue.

“All’s fair in love and war” Hochul said during an unrelated event in her home town of Buffalo. “If there’s other states violating the rules and are trying to give themselves an advantage, all I’ll say is, I’m going to look at it closely.”

Hochul said she’s determined to respond in kind if Republicans game the system in red states in an effort to cling to power in what is looming as a tough political climate in 2026.

“I’m not surprised that they’re trying to break the rules to get an advantage,” Hochul added. “But that’s undemocratic, and not only are we calling them out, we’re also going to see what our options are.”

Hochul said she would confer with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, about a path forward on redistricting in New York, where Democrats now hold 19 seats and Republicans have seven. Republicans hold the House by a slim seven-vote margin, and history says parties of the sitting president usually lose more seats than that in a midterm after winning election.

Jeffries said this week that Democrats in New York and other blue states should consider all options if Trump and Republicans choose the political nuclear option by ripping up the Texas map in the middle of the decade.

“Every single state is going to have to do the same thing because Republicans are desperate,” Jeffries told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday.

Redistricting in New York, California and several other Democratic states would be a significantly tougher lift legally and maybe politically than in Texas or other red states.

New York’s constitution only allows for redistricting to take place once a decade and it’s unclear how or if Democrats could get around that provision. The liberal-led state’s highest court would have to weigh in on any effort to redraw the districts.

If Democrats could get over legal hurdles, they could potentially use their supermajorities in the state Assembly and Senate to bulldoze the suggestions of a bipartisan, independent redistricting committee.

Election analysts believe New York maps could be tweaked to give Democrats the upper hand in at least 22 or 23 districts, a gain of three or four seats compared to the current map.

The most obvious tweaks would involve eliminating Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’ edge in her Staten Island-based district by including deep-blue parts of Brooklyn; redrawing Long Island to give Democrats an advantage in Rep. Nick LaLota’s East End district; and rejiggering the Westchester County-based swing district represented by Rep. Mike Lawler to make it impossible for him to win reelection.

A creative redrawing of far upstate districts could solidify Rep. Josh Riley’s hold on his battleground NY-19 district in the Catskills and perhaps give Democrats a chance to oust Rep. Claudia Tenney by packing Republicans into neighboring red districts.

Texas Republicans, who control the entire state government as well as a conservative-dominated court system, are holding a special legislative session to consider re-divvying up the state’s 38 districts, which are now split 25-12 in favor of Republicans, with one deep-blue Houston seat vacant.

The GOP is also hoping to redraw Ohio to pick up three seats and have discussed moves to redraw maps in Indiana and Missouri too.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is vowing to hit back by seeking to divide up the heavily Democratic Golden State to win a handful more seats.

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