WASHINGTON – By allowing Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional map, the Supreme Court has kickstarted a nationwide partisan arms race over who holds a critical level of power in Washington during the final two years of President Donald Trump 's second term.

The U.S. Supreme Court revived on Thursday a redrawn Texas electoral map designed to add more Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives, boosting President Donald Trump's quest for his party to keep control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.

The Supreme Court has cleared the way for a Texas congressional map that may help the GOP win five more U.S. House seats in the 2026 midterms. A lower court found the map is likely unconstitutional.

The U.S. population is spread out among 3.8 million square miles across 50 states, yet nearly one-third of Americans live in just three states: California, Texas and New York. New York City alone has more people — 8.5 million — than 38 states.

An approaching primary election was a factor in Thursday’s Supreme Court decision to set aside a lower court’s ruling that had blocked the Republican-backed map from taking effect. A key question moving forward is whether the lines were redrawn based on race or partisan politics.

Trump is seeking to avoid historical trends in which the president's party typically loses seats in midterm elections by pushing for new congressional districts.

The new map splits Indianapolis into four to help the GOP potentially win all nine Indiana congressional seats.