The two most populous states are in a political battle poised to have a major impact on the balance of power in Washington DC.

Texas lawmakers approved a new congressional map this week at the behest of President Donald Trump, seeking to preserve his Republican Party's slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in the November 2026 midterm elections.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom used his Democratic supermajority to push a new congressional map that favors Democrats in an effort to nullify the expected new map from Texas.