The redistricting battles playing out across multiple states could significantly shape the balance of power in Congress ahead of the upcoming elections.
Virginia is currently represented in the U.S. House by six Democrats and five Republicans, which closely resembles the political makeup of the state population. By a 4-3 vote last week, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down a voter-approved gerrymandered congressional map that would have eliminated all but one Republican district.
That ruling followed Thursday's approval by the Tennessee Legislature of a new congressional map that eliminates a district drawn to favor black residents, a change that faces a legal challenge.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Alabama approved a plan late Friday for new U.S. House primaries, if courts allow the state to use different congressional districts in this year's elections.
Republican lawmakers in Louisiana and South Carolina have also presented congressional redistricting plans, and Florida's new plan could add four Republican seats to Congress.
"Many states have been redistricting, and Republicans now probably will gain more seats than the Democrats," Washington Times columnist Robert Knight tells AFN, adding that "a lot depends on gasoline prices and other factors."
If the Iran war ends in a way that people regard as a victory, he says that could go a long way toward adding Republican seats in the House and Senate.
"If the Cuban government falls at the same time, that would probably cement a solid Republican majority and give President [Donald] Trump the chance to do more of his reforms of scaling back the federal bureaucracy and just battling tyranny everywhere in the world," the columnist adds.
While several plans remain tied up in legal challenges or are still under development, broader political conditions — including the economy and foreign policy developments — could further boost Republican prospects.
