Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., is openly pressing House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to "step up" and put a stop to what he called a looming "redistricting war" that could ignite nationwide election chaos.
"I warned the Speaker for months that a redistricting war was (1) bad for the country, (2) unpopular with Members on both sides, and (3) likely to end as a wash," Kiley wrote Tuesday on X.
"Yet he cheered it on rather than try to stop it."
Kiley has introduced legislation to ban mid-decade congressional redistricting and is urging Johnson to bring it to the floor as red states like Texas and blue states like California move to redraw maps ahead of the 2026 midterms.
"I'm calling on [Johnson] to bring it to the floor when we get back from recess," Kiley reportedly said in August, warning that constant, mid-cycle map fights are "nuts" and bad for voters.
He said the escalating race between red and blue states is the kind of mess Congress — and its leaders — should be trying to head off, not quietly watching from the sidelines.
President Donald Trump has made redrawing congressional maps in GOP-led states a key part of his agenda to help preserve the Republicans' narrow House majority.
Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio have collectively created up to nine additional Republican-leaning seats.
On Nov. 4, California voters approved Proposition 50, a ballot initiative giving Democrats temporary control over redrawing the state's congressional maps, stripping power from an independent redistricting commission until 2031.
The move, which already faces legal opposition, could offset many of the gains Republicans were expected to make through Trump's redistricting push.
Kiley, a critic of Proposition 50, also wrote Tuesday on X that he would introduce legislation allowing every state to have "an independent redistricting commission" like the one Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom "just got rid of in California."
"It's time to end gerrymandering for good in the United States," Kiley wrote.
"I'll be introducing legislation to give every state an independent redistricting commission like the one Newsom just got rid of in California."
Newsmax reached out to Johnson's office for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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