J.D. Vance, vice president, says Republican redistricting efforts are all about fairness

Vice President J.D. Vance said Sunday the Republican Party is using redistricting to level the playing field with Democrats who have gerrymandered congressional maps in blue states.

Mr. Vance said the new maps in Texas and the efforts underway in other states are a way to make sure Republican voices are heard.

“All we’re doing, frankly, is trying to make the situation a little bit more fair on a national scale,” Mr. Vance said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “The Democrats have gerrymandered their states really aggressively.”

“We think there are opportunities to push back against that,” he said. “That’s really all we’re doing.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he will sign into law the new congressional district maps that are expected to help Republicans gain as many as five seats in the midterm elections.

Congressional maps are traditionally updated every ten years after the census.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democrat-controlled California Legislature have countered by passing legislation that would allow voters to greenlight a map-making process that would help Democrats pick up as many as five seats.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is encouraging other GOP-led states, such as Ohio, Indiana and Missouri, to follow Texas’ lead.

Democrats have responded by vowing to rewrite their maps.

“Game on,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said after the Texas House passed a redrawn map.

However, political analysts say Democrats should tread carefully because Republicans have more states than Democrats where they can look for additional congressional seats.

Mr. Vance reiterated that point on Sunday.

“You have to ask yourself, ‘Why have Democrats gerrymandered their states aggressively over the past ten to 20 years?’” Mr. Vance said. “If you look, for example, at the popular vote in a lot of these states, and Massachusetts, where 32% of the residents of Massachusetts voted for Republicans, zero Republican federal representatives.”