In The Great Gerrymandering War of 2026, it appears — at least on paper — that the GOP is winning. With the elimination of Democrat Party held seats in several states across the south, Republicans are boosting the number of seats they expect to win without courting new voters. However, Ali Velshi explains that though Republicans may be winning the redistricting fight, they may be overlooking important factors that will be evident when voters show up at the polls.

MS NOW Elections Director Kabir Khanna and pollster and political strategist for the Democratic Party Celinda Lake join Velshi for a discussion on the potential backfire the GOP is bringing upon itself by not taking into account the national political environment.

As it stands now, the Republican Party’s policies are not popular. The Trump administration is facing a 63 percent disapproval rate. By redistricting to dilute marginalized voters and reduce the power of Democratic voters, Republicans reveal an arrogance that voters are not going to care what happens to their district. In fact, these redistricting efforts may motivate more voters to turnout, especially now in the midterms where turnout has been historically low.

South Carolina State Senator Shane Masse, the Republican majority leader, explicitly decried his party’s motives and warned of the consequences in a speech last week, saying, “Trying to silence a voice is going to result in people wanting to hear that voice.” South Carolina has opted not to engage in redistricting to reduce the Black vote.

More people voting is a positive outcome to the aggressive redistricting, as outrage over gerrymandering and other policy issues may instead result in more voters coming out for the midterms, something that the GOP might not have expected.

LISTEN: HOW REDISTRICTING COULD BACKFIRE ON THE GOP

WATCH: VELSHI, KHANNA, AND LAKE TALK GOP STRATEGY

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