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Trump's Quiet Coup: Redistricting, Census Games, and the End of Fair Elections

How the GOP is trying to win the 2026 and 2028 elections before a single vote is cast.

Dan Pfeiffer

Aug 13

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Whenever I write or post on social media about how something Trump did might impact the midterms, I get plenty of responses from people calling me naïve for even thinking there will be elections in 2026. There are a lot of Democrats convinced that Trump will simply cancel the elections to lock in Republican majorities in the House and Senate.

The president has no power over when or how elections happen. Declaring a national emergency doesn’t give Trump the authority to suspend, move, or cancel them. States run elections, not the federal government. Trump could encourage states to move their elections, but there is no way Democratic governors would agree to that. I suppose, theoretically, Trump could use the military to stop elections from happening in blue states, and Republicans could take extraordinary measures to prevent the seating of newly elected Democratic members.

Look, I don’t put anything past Trump or this Republican Party. No one got rich betting against Trump doing unprecedented and dangerous things. But Trump doesn’t need to resort to such extreme measures to undermine our democracy and lock in political power for decades. There is a more nefarious and subtle plan to end our democracy in form and function — and it’s already underway.

Part 1: Steal the House Through Redistricting

Republicans currently hold one of the narrowest majorities in history. Congressional Republicans’ only notable accomplishment was a budget bill that pays for tax cuts for the rich by cutting health care and food assistance. Trump’s approval rating is historically low. People are sour about the economy. According to data journalist G. Elliot Morris, Democrats currently have a three-point lead in the generic ballot.

We are a long way from the midterms. A lot can (and will) happen, but the most likely scenario is that Democrats regain the majority, stopping Trump’s legislative agenda in its tracks and giving them the power to investigate his massive corruption.

Republicans know this, which is why they are taking the extraordinary step of redrawing maps in Texas and elsewhere. ...