As the battle over redistricting intensifies across the country, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is defending Republican-led efforts in Texas, telling Newsmax on Wednesday that Democrats have long employed the same tactics — and now must live with the consequences.
Meadows, a former congressman in North Carolina, said on "Finnerty" that Republicans are simply playing by the same rules Democrats have for years when it comes to redrawing congressional districts, emphasizing that "what's good for the goose is good for the gander."
He pointed to Democrats' longstanding dominance in states such as California, Illinois, Massachusetts as examples of partisan redistricting benefiting one side while being condemned when practiced by the other.
"They're always for democracy until they're not," Meadows said. "When you look at Massachusetts, not a single Republican member of Congress … yet over 1.2 million people voted for Donald Trump there."
The remarks come as Republicans in Texas move to redraw congressional districts with the goal of adding five new conservative districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The move has sparked criticism from Democrats, who accuse the GOP of undermining democracy. But Meadows said Democrats have no moral high ground.
"You had the governor of Illinois on there — it's amazing. They [Democrats] lost a seat in the last census and yet picked up two new districts," Meadows said, referencing recent changes to Illinois' congressional map. "They got one that looks like a horseshoe, the other looks like a boomerang — both gerrymandered within the last 24 months."
Meadows acknowledged that redistricting could be done more fairly, with neutral guidelines or technological tools to draw more compact and balanced districts. Still, he argued that unless both parties commit to such reforms, partisan map-drawing will continue, and Republicans should not be penalized for doing what Democrats have mastered.
"In North Carolina, we were not unique in terms of gerrymandering," he said. "There was a snake district created outside of Charlotte for a Democrat seat. Can you do a better job? Absolutely. But as long as there's partisan districts being drawn, what's good for the goose needs to be good for the gander."
Democrats in blue states are now preparing countermoves. In California, lawmakers are weighing proposals to dismantle Republican-held seats. New York Democrats have proposed legislation to allow mid-decade redistricting, with Gov. Kathy Hochul saying that "if Texas proceeds, we must do the same."
In Wisconsin, Democrats have filed lawsuits seeking to force a redraw of congressional maps before the next election.
Democrat David Moon, majority leader in the Maryland House of Delegates, has stated that he will introduce legislation to initiate redistricting in Maryland if Texas or any other state conducts redistricting before the census.
Republicans, meanwhile, are pushing for similar changes in other GOP-led states. President Donald Trump has encouraged Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe to call a special session on redistricting.
As redistricting becomes a public and strategic battleground, Meadows said the political landscape has shifted.
"This is a new day in Washington, D.C. The American people aren't buying" the double standard anymore, he said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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