US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) held a news conference at the US Capitol on Jan. 5, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Joe Raedle Getty Images
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Monday promised a “massive attack on the Democratic Alliance” and said House Democrats will come together on Thursday in ongoing caucus battles ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Jeffries, in a letter to the House Democratic caucus, called the meeting after a series of caucuses over the past two weeks over the repeal ban. On Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court overturned a referendum that would have allowed for new congressional maps in the state that would have given Democrats four more seats. Virginia Democrats on Monday asked the US Supreme Court to stop that decision.
Last week, the Supreme Court weakened part of the Voting Rights Act, paving the way for GOP-led states across the South to redraw their congressional maps and eliminate Democratic-controlled, majority-minority districts.
Democrats were widely tipped to win back the US House in November, but collectively, the results bolstered Republican hopes of retaining their majority. Jeffries’ letter is the latest announcement from Democrats that they intend to fight back, either in the courts, through legislation, or by pursuing their own aggressive redistricting plan.
“Even after being aided and abetted by undemocratic court decisions, the failed GOP majority will not be able to restore itself to power,” Jeffries wrote. “Democrats will control the House of Representatives in November.”
Rep. Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal elections, will help lead a caucus briefing on Thursday. Jeffries also sent Morelle, who is also a lawyer from New York, to his country last week to talk to Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators about the possibility of redistricting in the 2028 election.
In his letter, Jeffries named New York, Colorado, Washington and Maryland as “taking steps to respond strongly to what has been revealed by the US Supreme Court.”
But this election year, Republicans now have a significant edge in civil rights battles, with 12 House seats up for grabs thanks to mid-decade redistricting, according to an analysis by Issue One, a coalition that seeks to reduce the influence of money in politics.
Last week, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, signed a new state map that eliminated one of its Democratic-held districts. Other Southern states, including Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina also took steps to withdraw their maps after the Supreme Court’s Voting Rights ruling.
Despite these setbacks, Jeffries and Democrats continue to point to President Donald Trump’s positive ratings and growing frustration over the Iran war and rising prices as reason for optimism.
“Donald Trump is very unpopular and the Republicans have failed to make life better for the American people. Instead of changing direction, GOP extremists are planning to change the makeup of state elections across the country,” he said.
States typically redraw their congressional lines every 10 years following the US census.
Trump launched a decade-long redistricting campaign last year, urging Texas and other GOP-led states to draw better maps as Republicans face major storms heading into the midterms.
Democratic-led states, California and Virginia launched their own redistricting efforts as a countermeasure. In both states, voters passed referendums to approve the new maps.
In a 4-3 decision, the Virginia Supreme Court found that Democrats did not follow due process when they put the constitutional amendment to the vote. The referendum passed by 3 percent in April.
