Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey called legislators back to Montgomery starting Monday to approve contingency plans for special primary elections in hopes the Supreme Court will let the state switch congressional maps ahead of the November midterms.
It is a move that Republican legislative leaders said would "give our state a fighting chance to send seven Republican members to Congress."
The seven-member delegation currently has two Democrats.
Federal judges previously ordered Alabama to use a court-selected map with a second district with a substantial number of Black voters.
The judges also ordered Alabama to use the new map until after the 2030 Census.
Alabama is appealing that decision and is hoping the court, in light of the Louisiana ruling, will let Alabama revert to a 2023 map drawn by state lawmakers.
That proposal would substantially alter the district now represented by Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., a Black man.
The proposal in Alabama hinges on the courts lifting the injunction in time to switch maps before the November election. Lawmakers will consider bills that will enable special congressional primaries in the four impacted congressional districts if that happens.
"As I continue saying, Alabama knows our state, our people and our districts best," Ivey said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is taking his rebuke of gerrymandering to redistrict the state of New York even more blue than it already is.
Jeffries unveiled the New York Democracy Project on Monday to explore redrawing the Empire State’s congressional map to benefit Democrats, who already hold 19 of the state’s 26 congressional seats.
The initiative is part of his efforts to push blue states to consider new partisan gerrymanders after the Supreme Court restricted the use of race in drawing electoral districts last week — a move that could put more than a dozen Democrat-held seats in jeopardy.
Jeffries also mentioned Colorado, Illinois and Maryland as top places where Democrats will seek to gerrymander more seats ahead of 2028.
The moves come amid a public ongoing feud with Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.
This post includes an excerpt from an Adam Pack report. Get the full story here.
While the primaries in Indiana and Ohio are hogging the ballot box spotlight Tuesday, do not forget about a special state Senate election in their neighbor to the north, Michigan.
That is because the contest in Michigan’s 35th Senate District, in Midland and Saginaw in the central part of Michigan’s lower peninsula, will decide control the state Senate in the Great Lakes battleground.
Democrat Chedrick Greene and Republican Jason Tunney are facing off in the race to fill the seat left vacant when now-Democrat Kristen McDonald was elected to Congress and stepped down in early 2025 from her state Senate seat.
Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer waited over a year to call the special election.
Democrats currently control the chamber 19-18, and a Greene victory would increase their slim majority.
But if Tunney wins, the chamber would be deadlocked. In that case, Democrat Lt. Gov Garlin Gilchrist II would serve as the tiebreaking vote.
Republicans control the state House.
Libertarian Ali Sledz is also on the ballot in Tuesday’s special election, which is the first midterm-year test for Republicans and Democrats in the key general election battleground state.
{{#rendered}}Iowa has “always been a purple state,” according to Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, but voters in his district are looking for practical results rather than political gamesmanship.
“I have the most fairly drawn district in America,” Nunn told "Fox & Friends First," calling that “a great thing for democracy.”
His comments came during a discussion about the midterm landscape, after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., vowed a broader redistricting fight in response to recent action in Florida.
Jeffries said Democrats would “sue,” “redraw” and “win," but Nunn, whose race was described as competitive, vows to work “on the ground” to deliver for Iowa voters.
"The reality is we have worked hard on the ground to deliver for Iowans as we just did with the farm bill, the work that we're doing fighting forward for every American family," Nunn said.
"I'm really proud of the fact that you know, I took on a Democrat incumbent, and we won. My very first race, we were in a blue district, and we won by 12 points. That's because Iowans want somebody who not only is a bipartisan legislator, but a pragmatic leader, a commander in the military who can actually deliver real results for the folks back home."
“My constituents are telling me” they do not want a midterm debate centered on impeachment, court-packing or tax hikes, Nunn concluded. “We’re in a good spot.”
Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says he believes the Supreme Court of Virginia is signaling it might reject Democrats’ redistricting referendum as soon as this week, leaving the state’s current congressional map in place through the 2026 elections.
Cuccinelli, who now serves as national chairman of the Election Transparency Initiative, laid out what he called a “tea leaf update” on X regarding the ongoing Virginia redistricting cases, arguing that the court’s recent handling of the litigation suggests the referendum could be in serious trouble.
“It’s still my belief that #SCOVA will rule against the referendum, leaving Va. with its current 6-5 map through 2026,” Cuccinelli wrote, adding that he believes the court is “trying to go fast,” given the need to settle the map for the 2026 elections.
A ruling could come “as early as this week,” he concluded.
“No opinion yet from #SCOVA in the case argued last Monday,” Cuccinelli wrote, referring to what he called “Tazewell 1,” a case he said involves “the 2025 violations of Va’s constitution & laws by the Democrat General Assembly.”
The state’s high court recently heard arguments in a challenge to Virginia’s redistricting amendment, while a separate case has kept the State Board of Elections from certifying the April 21 referendum results. The Virginia Supreme Court denied an emergency request that would have allowed certification to move forward while the legal fight continued.
Cuccinelli pointed to the court’s decision to leave an injunction in place in the second case, which he described as “Tazewell 2,” as a possible sign the justices may already be prepared to rule against the referendum.
“This tea leaf might suggest #SCOVA has decided to rule against the referendum,” Cuccinelli wrote, adding that the court might be “holding the referendum in place” because it does not expect to need further proceedings in the second case.
He also noted that no briefing schedule has been set in the immediately appealed second case, saying that “may suggest #SCOVA knows it will not be considering Tazewell 2 b/c they already have the votes to reject the referendum.”
Ohio is Vice President JD Vance’s first stop Tuesday in a jam-packed political day.
The vice president is headed to his home state to vote in Ohio’s primaries.
Vance served as senator from Ohio before stepping down after winning election in 2024 as vice president.
The Buckeye State is holding primaries for the U.S. Senate, in the race to fill the fill the final two years of Vance’s term. Ohio is also holding primaries for governor, in the fight to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Mike DeWine.
After casting a ballot at a polling location in Cincinnati, the vice president heads to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he will headline a Republican National Committee (RNC) fundraiser.
Vance is the RNC’s finance chair and is the first sitting vice president to serve as finance chair of a major national party committee.
The vice president then travels to Iowa, a key battleground in this year’s midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending their slim Senate and razor-thin House majorities.
Vance will team up with Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, who's facing a tough reelection in a swing district in the southwestern portion of the state.
The trip is also Vance’s first as vice president to Iowa, whose caucuses for half a century have kicked off the Republican presidential nominating calendar. Vance is widely expected next year to launch a 2028 campaign for the White House in the race to succeed his boss, term-limited President Donald Trump.
{{#rendered}}The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed its recent Louisiana redistricting ruling to take effect immediately, clearing the way for state officials to move quickly toward a new congressional map ahead of the November midterm elections.
The move strengthens Louisiana Republicans’ position as they defend Gov. Jeff Landry’s decision to delay the state’s congressional primary elections and seek a new map that could be more favorable to the GOP.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote a concurrence defending the court’s action, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch.
“The dissent in this suit levels charges that cannot go unanswered,” Alito wrote. He said Jackson’s position would require Louisiana’s 2026 congressional elections to be held under a map the court had already found unconstitutional.
“The dissent does not claim that it is now too late for the state legislature or the District Court to adopt a new map that complies with the Constitution,” Alito wrote, rebuking Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the lone noted dissenter.
“Nor does the dissent assert that it is not feasible for the elections to be held under such a map.”
Instead, Alito said, the dissent relied on reasons he described as “trivial at best” and “baseless and insulting.”
The order follows the court’s April 29 decision striking down a Louisiana congressional map that created a second Black-majority U.S. House district. The court ruled 6-3 that the map relied too heavily on race, violating the constitutional principle of equal protection.
“To avoid the appearance of partiality here, we could, as per usual, opt to stay on the sidelines and take no position by applying our default procedures,” Jackson wrote, drawing the Alito rebuke.
“But, today, the Court chooses the opposite. Not content to have decided the law, it now takes steps to influence its implementation.”
Fox News' Chief Legal Correspondent Shannon Bream contributed to this report.
Tennessee State Rep. Jody Barrett, R-Dixson, is backing President Donald Trump on the redistricting “fight,” saying Republicans are right to revisit the state’s congressional map as part of a broader push to ensure voters, not political insiders, decide elections.
“President Trump has been clear from day one: you don’t sit back while the system is being manipulated,” Barrett said. “You fight back. That’s exactly what Tennesseans expect, and that’s exactly what I’ll continue to do.”
Barrett, widely regarded as one of Tennessee’s most conservative lawmakers, said the issue is about making sure Tennesseans are “fully and fairly represented ” and that their values are carried to Washington. He argued voters are increasingly frustrated with political systems they see as disconnected from the people they are supposed to serve.
“For years, Democrats have aggressively worked to reshape the political map in states across the country. People see it, and they’re tired of it,” Barrett said. “This isn’t about politics. It’s about making sure Tennesseans aren’t sidelined while the rules are being rewritten somewhere else.”
Barrett said any redistricting effort should be judged by whether it restores confidence in elections and puts voters back in control.
“This comes down to one simple question,” Barrett said. “Do voters choose their representatives, or do politicians choose their voters? I’ll always stand with the voters. No exceptions.”
Political analysts will be closely monitoring voter turnout in Tuesday's Ohio primary elections. A strong showing by Democrat Senate candidate Sherrod Brown could hint at whether Democrats might score an upset victory in their battle for the Senate.
At the same time, three U.S. House of Representatives races in Ohio could also provide clues on Democrats' more likely chances of winning control of that chamber, which Republicans now hold with a narrow majority.
Last year, Ohio approved a redistricting plan that Republicans drew up to gain an added edge in the November elections.
That has put Democrat Rep. Marcy Kaptur's four-decade House career in jeopardy. While she is expected to win her party primary, her northwest district in the Toledo area is now composed of significantly more Trump supporters, making her an underdog in the general election, according to analysts.
Similarly, Democrat Rep. Greg Landsman's Cincinnati district is now more Republican-friendly, although he is seen holding an edge against the likely winner of Tuesday's Republican primary.
Meanwhile, Democrat Rep. Emilia Sykes' newly drawn district in the Akron area could boost her prospects in November in a somewhat competitive race with whichever candidate emerges from a crowded Republican primary field.
Sykes is unopposed in the Democrat primary.
Reuters contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}A top aide to Republican Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina confirms to Fox News Digital that it is very unlikely the GOP controlled state will enact congressional redistricting in the wake of last week’s blockbuster Supreme Court ruling stripping protections from the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act.
“We do not anticipate the governor calling a special session,” McMaster spokeswoman Michelle LeClair said.
President Donald Trump’s political team and other national Republicans were hoping that South Carolina would join other Southern States (Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee) in moving forward with redrawing their maps in the wake of the SCOTUS ruling.
Democrats control only one of South Carolina’s seven congressional seats. That seat is held by longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C.
It is primary day in Republican-dominated Indiana, where President Donald Trump’s immense sway over the GOP is on the line, as his endorsements in key races will be tested.
In neighboring Ohio, another right-leaning state, some of Tuesday's top primaries will tee up crucial general election showdowns in November’s midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending their slim Senate and razor-thin House majorities.
Two congressional incumbents in Indiana — Republican Rep. Jim Baird and Democrat Rep. Andre Carson — face serious primary challenges.
And in Ohio, Republicans will pick from a crowded primary field in the race to face off with vulnerable Democrat Rep. Marcy Kaptur.
This is an excerpt from Paul Steinhauser's report. Get the full story here.
Tennessee's redistricting special legislative session Tuesday will weigh a map that will potentially turn the state's lone blue district red before the 2026 midterms.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who is term-limited and leaving office after this year, moved quickly to call the special session after a conversation last week with President Donald Trump on the heels of the landmark Supreme Court decision that found race should not be used to dictate the drawing of legislative district maps.
"We owe it to Tennesseans to ensure our congressional districts accurately reflect the will of Tennessee voters," Lee wrote in a statement, announcing the session after the Trump call, expressing urgency "to comply with mandatory election qualifying timelines" and make sure a new map is "enacted as soon as possible."
"After consultation with the Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, Attorney General, and Secretary of State, I believe the General Assembly has a responsibility to review the map and ensure it remains fair, legal, and defensible."
Get the full story here.
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