Marc Elias, a prominent Democrat attorney, recently voiced his concerns on MSNBC's "Deadline: White House" about the role of President Donald Trump's supporters, colloquially known as MAGA, in enabling the redrawing of district boundaries in Republican-led states.
This issue has been in the spotlight since Texas initiated a redistricting process in July, a move that has been met with widespread resistance from Democrats across the country, who view it as a direct threat to democracy. The conversation took a turn when reports emerged that Indiana leaders had met with Trump in the Oval Office to discuss a similar redistricting plan for their state.
In response to these reports, show host Nicole Wallace sought Elias's perspective on the matter.
"Indiana was gonna cave from the moment Donald Trump asked them," Elias stated. He expressed his frustration with the ongoing political drama, dismissing the initial hesitation from Republicans as nothing more than a minor obstacle.
"In the end they always cave, you know, maybe the talk is true that Trump always chickens out abroad. But Republicans always chicken out when it comes to standing up to Donald Trump domestically, and so Indiana is gonna cave. Theyll pass a new map."
As reported by the Associated Press, Indiana's Republican legislative leaders met with President Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of joining other GOP-led states in proposing new redistricting maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. Following the meeting,
Republican Sen. Liz Brown of Indiana took to social media to assert that "Hoosiers deserve to be fairly represented in DC," adding that Trump understands "whats at stake if liberal strongholds like CA bend, break and bust the rules to gerrymander their maps."
Elias, in response, issued a stern warning. "By the way, I can promise them theyre going to get sued. Then Florida will pass a new map, and they are definitely gonna get sued, and theyre gonna lose, and Missouris gonna pass a new map, and theyre gonna get sued, and they may lose." He went on to categorize the Republican Party into two groups: "proud MAGA" and "scared MAGA," with the former leading the charge to fulfill Trump's wishes.
"Thats the [Republican Texas Gov. Greg] Abbotts. Thats the [Republican Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantiss. But the scared MAGA wind up doing the same thing," Elias said.
"Theyre just scared MAGA, and thats Indiana. Maybe thatll be New Hampshire. Maybe lose some other places. But anyone who is banking on Republicans doing the right thing anything everyone is banking on Republicans acting in good faith to saving democracy has not learned the lesson of the last several years and certainly not of the last seven months."
The redistricting battle in Texas ignited in July when the GOP revealed their proposed maps, leading to a mass exodus of Democrats from the state in an attempt to prevent a vote. This move was met with criticism from Republicans, with the state's Attorney General Ken Paxton threatening legal action against lawmakers who refused to return.
Despite a two-week standoff, the Democrats who had fled eventually returned to Texas, claiming a small victory in delaying the first special session. However, their efforts were ultimately in vain as the Texas House of Representatives approved the states redistricting maps on Aug. 20, followed by the Senate on Aug. 23.
In a countermove, California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a gerrymandering campaign on Aug. 14, backed by state Democrats, with the aim of removing approximately six Republicans from Californias House delegation and transferring redistricting authority from the independent commission to the state Legislature.
However, this move has not been met with universal approval. A Politico poll revealed that 64% of Californians prefer to maintain independent redistricting, while only 36% support the transfer of power back to lawmakers.
Assembly Republicans also cautioned that the special election could cost voters a staggering $235.5 million, casting further doubt on the feasibility and popularity of Newsom's plan.
Login