What states could try to redistrict and add more GOP seats

Louisiana's Secretary of State on Thursday announced the state would suspend the May 16 House primaries in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the state's congressional map one day earlier. The Supreme Court's ruling on Wednesday about Louisiana's congressional map could have implications for several southern states, as it weakened the relevant section of the Voting Rights Act about majority-minority districts. In a perfect world for Republicans, many southern states could redraw their maps, withstand legal challenges and collectively add between one to nine more GOP-friendly districts for the 2026 midterms, according to a CBS News analysis. That number is expected to grow for the 2028 cycle as more states redraw their lines in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling. But there is a big obstacle for any more GOP redraws in 2026: time. Many states either have conducted their primary elections, have them coming up soon or have already passed the qualification deadline for candidates to get onto the ballot. Legal challenges are likely, and last-minute changes to the maps could run into trouble with the "Purcell principle," which establishes that federal courts cannot change voting or election rules too close to an election. Another obstacle for 2026 is the uphill political environment for the party, stemming from voter frustrations with the economy and continuing U.S. war waged on Iran. …