Ahead of the rapidly approaching 2026 midterms, Republicans and Democrats in states across the country are engaged in heated redistricting battles. What started with Texas’ effort to redraw its congressional map earlier in 2025 has led to other states, including California and Missouri, to do the same.

Now, redistricting battles are shaping up in Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland and Virginia.

Florida

Florida Republicans are engaged in a fight over the creation of a House map that has the potential to net the GOP several seats, The Hill reported. Currently, Republicans hold 20 of Florida’s 28 congressional districts.

Despite the fact that a Florida House redistricting panel has already met twice to begin the process, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and state Senate Republican leadership appear to be interested in holding off on the discussion until a special session in spring. However, some fear that this could be too late, as April 20 is the deadline for federal candidates to qualify and file paperwork.

Florida Republicans are also facing challenges because of language in the state’s constitution that puts tight restrictions on gerrymandering, NBC News noted.

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Illinois

Democrats could possibly pick up more seats in Illinois, but the move has gained little ground. Black lawmakers have expressed concerns that a new map could undermine minority representation, according to NBC News.

Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Ill., said his state could be forced to respond if neighboring Indiana were to move forward with its own redistricting effort. However, he later applauded Indiana when it rejected a new map.

“Our neighbors in Indiana have stood up to Trump’s threats and political pressure, instead choosing to do what’s right for their constituents and our democracy,” Pritzker wrote on X. “Illinois will remain vigilant against his map rigging — our efforts to respond and stop his campaign are being heard.”

After Indiana rejected their map, Illinois state Sen. Willie Preston, D, urged Pritzker to drop the idea, The Hill reported, noting that others have suggested that the Prairie State is still mulling the move.

Jon Maxson, a spokesperson for Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch, told The Hill in an email that “all options remain on the table in Illinois.”

Illinois faces a larger issue, as the November candidate filing deadline has already passed.

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Kansas

Kansas is the other major redistricting target for Republicans.

GOP lawmakers in the Sunflower State have said that they would discuss redrawing the map when they reconvene this month. However, just last year, lawmakers tried but failed to bring the issue forward.

Kansas Republicans need two-thirds support in the Legislature to hold a special session to address the map. While State House members didn’t have enough support for the issue, Republicans were able to secure enough signatures in the state Senate, The Hill reported. Additionally, they will need to override a veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

Kelly recently told the Kansas Reflector that she would be “surprised if they even really bring it up.”

“I don’t think a lot has changed in terms of where legislators stand on the issue,” she added.

In November, Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson (R), who’s running for Kansas governor, claimed in a statement that “California Democrats are working overtime to silence Republicans and steal the House majority.”

“Even Governor Laura Kelly admitted that there’s a bigger risk in doing nothing. On that, we agree. States across America are standing up, and Kansas will be part of that fight,” he added.

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Maryland

Maryland Democrats have resisted pressure to redraw maps. In November, Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, formed a redistricting commission to explore the issue despite a lack of appetite for the move within his own party. The commission voted in secret to move forward with the plan, to the dismay of Democrat critics.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Democrat, has been a vocal opponent of redistricting.

“The overwhelming majority do not want a new congressional map,” Ferguson said in a statement, according to The Hill. “They want their government focused on fostering growth, affordability, and real protections against this lawless federal Administration.”

The commission is asking the public about congressional map proposals ahead of the state’s Feb. 24 candidate filing deadline.

Virginia

In late October, just before the state’s gubernatorial election, Virginia Democratic lawmakers took a major first step in a complex political maneuver aimed at redrawing the state’s congressional map.

Democrats were able to pass an amendment to the state’s Constitution to allow lawmakers to temporarily redistrict mid-decade by 2030, The Hill noted. The amendment will need to be passed again in the spring or summer before voters can have their say. The lawmakers now have the help of additional Democrats in the state’s Legislature following the November 2025 elections.

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“Our congressional delegation is 6-5 — six Democrats, five Republicans. Ten-1 is not out of the realm,” Virginia House Speaker Don Scott said in early December, according to NBC News.

If voters approve of the referendum, lawmakers would be able to pass a new map ahead of the 2026 midterms. The Hill noted that Republicans are highly likely to challenge a new map in court.

The suspect accused of plotting a New Year’s Eve attack on a grocery store and fast-food restaurant in North Carolina worked at a Burger King and hid knives and hammers under his bed despite his grandparents trying to secure the potential weapons, prosecutors revealed Friday. 

Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill, a town outside Charlotte, was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson said.   

“What we do know is that the grandfather secured the knives in the home, secured the hammers, tried to make sure that Mr. Sturdivant did not have them. And, yet, when we executed the search warrant, they were found under his bed,” Ferguson told reporters at a news conference Friday. 

Ferguson added the attack was planned to take place in Mint Hill, and the suspect worked at a Burger King.

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“He was preparing for jihad, and innocent people were going to die. And we were very, very fortunate they did not,” Ferguson said. “I can tell you from his notes he was targeting Jews, Christians and LGBTQ individuals.” 

James C. Barnacle, Jr., special agent in charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office, said Friday that Sturdivant first caught the bureau’s attention in January 2022, when he was still a juvenile. 

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“He was in contact via social media with an unidentified ISIS member overseas. Sturdivant received direction from this unidentified ISIS member to dress in all black, knock on people’s doors, and attack them with a hammer. In fact, Sturdivant did dress in all black. He left this house with a hammer, and fortunately his family stepped in,” Barnacle continued. “No charges were filed at that time. He was referred for psychological care, and he underwent psychological care.

“Christian Sturdivant pledged his loyalty to ISIS and committed himself to commit to killing Americans on New Year’s Eve. 

“We do have some intelligence that he was looking at a grocery store because there would be a lot of people there. He knew there would be a lot of people there grocery shopping. … He was looking for a high-profile place,” Barnacle added. 

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“There’s a couple grocery stores in Mint Hill. He wasn’t set on just one. He was looking at multiple, whichever one had the most people in it.”

A 15-year-old boy has been charged as an adult with murder after an Uber driver was found shot to death early New Year’s Day after a carjacking in a suburban Atlanta community, authorities said.

The victim was identified as Cesar Tejada, 58, of Grayson, Georgia, who was working as an Uber driver at the time of the shooting, according to a release from the Lawrenceville Police Department. Authorities said that Tejada was a father of two.

Police responded around 5:20 a.m. Jan. 1 to a report of a person lying in the roadway in the suburban community of Lawrenceville, which is approximately 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. Officers found Tejada suffering from a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators determined that Tejada had picked up the suspect around 4:13 a.m. and transported him to Groveland Parkway. Police said the suspect exited the back seat, shot Tejada and left him in the road before fleeing the scene.

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Using FLOCK camera technology and working in partnership with Uber, detectives tracked Tejada’s vehicle back to the area where the trip originated. Officers later detained the suspect, identified as 15-year-old Christian Simmons, after observing him walking in the roadway near his residence, police said.

Simmons has been charged as an adult with murder. Police initially withheld his identity due to his age.

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, an Uber spokesperson said the company is saddened by Tejada’s death.

“We’re saddened by this devastating loss, and our condolences go out to the driver’s family during this incredibly difficult time,” the spokesperson said. “We’ve been in contact with the Lawrenceville Police Department to help support their investigation.”

Uber confirmed the rider account associated with the incident has been permanently banned. The company said it employs former law enforcement professionals to assist with investigations and offers in-app safety features such as an emergency assistance button, GPS trip tracking and rider verification.

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Police described Tejada as a husband and father of two and extended condolences to his family. The investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact the Lawrenceville Police Department.