Vice President Vance Defends Texas Redistricting as Answer to Democratic Maps

U.S. Vice President JD Vance defended Republican-backed redistricting efforts in Texas, arguing they are intended to counter what he called two decades of aggressive Democratic gerrymandering across the country. In a televised interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Vance said the GOP is “trying to make the situation a little bit more fair” and insisted that Republicans are merely “pushing back” against maps that have favored Democrats in several states. Vance cited Massachusetts as an example, noting that roughly 32% of the state’s voters supported Republican candidates in the last election cycle yet the state sends no Republican representatives to Congress. He maintained that the new Texas map is part of a broader national strategy to address what Republicans see as structural imbalances created by earlier Democratic-drawn districts. Democrats have criticized the Texas plan as a bid to lock in Republican gains ahead of the 2026 midterms, contending that the proposal dilutes minority voting power. Legal challenges are expected once the map is finalized, setting the stage for further court battles over partisan gerrymandering in the run-up to the next election.