Challenge to Wisconsin map adds latest wrinkle to 2026 House fight

Two lawsuits in Wisconsin are seeking to have the state’s congressional map thrown out in a development that follows Republican warnings earlier this year that the election of a Democratic-backed state Supreme Court candidate could lead to new lines.

With the lawsuits filed last week, Wisconsin joined a handful of states that could see their congressional lines redrawn ahead of next year’s midterm elections. And it could add another layer of uncertainty to the burgeoning electoral landscape in 2026, when House Republicans will defend their threadbare majority.

The latest challenges in Wisconsin come after a panel of federal judges last week struck down a 2023 Alabama congressional map that was drawn by the GOP-controlled state Legislature, saying that the state needed to have more representation for Black voters. The map was not used in the last year’s elections, with Alabama instead using a court-mandated map that created a second congressional district with a substantial Black population. That led to the election of Rep. Shomari Figures, who joined Rep. Terri A. Sewell as the second Democrat in the state’s delegation.

Judicial rulings on redistricting in a handful of other states could also influence the fight for the House majority next year. In the 2024 elections, a redrawn map that favored Republicans in North Carolina was largely offset by changes in other states, such as Louisiana and Alabama, that favored Democrats.



https://rollcall.com/2025/05/12/wisconsin-congressional-map-redistricting-midterm-elections/