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Reporter’s Notebook: Democrats say they can still flip the House despite GOP redistricting gains in the South
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Redistricting and race.
Democrats are beside themselves, watching what Republicans are doing on redistricting — especially in the South.
«What we’re seeing is an attack on legitimate opportunities for Black candidates to have representation here in Congress,» said Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., who is on track to lose his district in Mobile.
Democrats say they know what Republicans are up to.
«They’ve also been trying to eliminate teaching America’s history, right? Whitewashing America’s history,» said former Vice President Kamala Harris.
BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES
Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat at MEET Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nev., on May 7, 2026. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
States like Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama – and now Georgia and South Carolina are redrawing district maps for House Members. That’s after Missouri revamped its maps. Many of these new districts are squeezing out members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
In essence, Democrats see this as a «Southern Strategy» by the GOP, stamping out Black lawmakers.
«It’s about race,» said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee.
«I feel like I’ve been assaulted,» said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo.
«We’ve seen this before,» said Rep. Greg Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
«We’re looking at losing possibly 19 members of the Congressional Black Caucus because of this frankly racist redistricting efforts targeted towards disenfranchising Black voters across the country,» said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Republicans say turnabout is fair play. They note that you can’t find a Republican anywhere in the six states which comprise New England.
«It’s out of whack. It’s out of balance. And I think Republicans are finally waking up given the legal landscape changes and going, ‘Well, maybe we need to reconsider the way that we do things in our state,’» said Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C.
South Carolina initially balked at drawing new maps. But the Palmetto State reversed course after President Trump demanded the state «get it done.» He instructed South Carolina Republicans to be «bold and courageous.»
Don’t forget that GOP Indiana state senators faced the President’s ire after the Hoosier State rejected his entreaties for redistricting there. The Trump White House waged an internecine campaign. President Trump’s allies toppled five Republican state senators who crossed him.
So South Carolina snapped to attention.
«The people of South Carolina are very supportive of President Donald Trump,» said Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC). «They understand perfectly that we’re in a conflict. A nationwide conflict.»
New maps in South Carolina could mean no Democrats in the state delegation. That could eliminate the district of former House Majority Whip and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. Clyburn first came to Capitol Hill in 1993. He’s widely regarded for salvaging the 2020 campaign of former President Biden, helping him ride to victory in the South Carolina primary.
Still, Democrats believe they can seize the House, even as Republicans try to squeeze the map through redistricting.
«There are 45 districts in play that we’ve identified as opportunities to flip in this upcoming midterm election,» said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
Democrats believe they’ll run up the scoreboard in California. Pluck off a couple of Republicans in Arizona and Colorado. Maybe one in Utah. Take a few in Texas after redistricting there. Make a play for a seat in Montana. Win a seat or two in Pennsylvania. Claim two seats in Virginia – despite the Virginia Supreme Court ruling there. Pick up a couple of seats in New Jersey and New York.
Remember that Democrats just need a net gain of three seats to secure the House majority.
However, that «blue wall» might not hold in all of New England this time around.
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, is retiring. He’s one of the most moderate Democrats in Congress. Vice President JD Vance just traveled to Bangor, Maine, recently to talk about fraud – and boost the campaign prospects of former Republican Maine Gov. Paul LePage.
LePage is running to succeed Golden. Republicans are bullish about their chances in northern Maine.
REPUBLICAN ‘WAKE-UP CALL’: SPECIAL ELECTION SHOCKER HIGHLIGHTS GOP TURNOUT AND MIDTERM RISKS
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks during a «New York is Not For Sale» rally at Forest Hills Stadium on Oct. 26, 2025. (Stephani Spindel/VIEWpress via Getty Images)
LePage will be 78 if he wins – the oldest freshman in congressional history. However, this is ironic. Maine’s Democrat Gov. Janet Mills was running for Senate – but bowed out. Some Democrats believed she was too old. Mills would have been 79 as a freshman senator had she stayed in the race and prevailed.
But back to what faces the Democrats.
Democrats are trying to find their footing after the double whammy of the Supreme Court Voting Rights Act decision and the Virginia Supreme Court rejecting the statewide redistricting referendum. House Democrats huddled to discuss their battle plan.
«I’m more energized now than ever to make sure that we’re in the field, that we’re doing the work and whatever it has to take to win,» said Meeks.
«We’re going to win,» said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). That’s the House Democrats’ political arm.
«Democrats are prepared to use whatever levers we can to influence the outcome of the election,» said Thompson.
Some of this sounded a little like political pablum with no real direction.
Yours truly pressed Thompson.
«Respectfully, this all sounds kind of vague. You guys have a five-alarm fire now after those two court decisions, and I’m not hearing any specifics,» I countered Thompson.
«Well, you just stay tuned,» countered Thompson.
«How does that convince the voters, though?» your trusty reporter queried.
«Look,» said Thompson. «We are two weeks away from a crazy Supreme Court decision. You can’t expect anyone to come with a strategy right now.»
Two weeks after the decision which could hamstring Democrats’ chances to win the House? Never mind that the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case last year and oral arguments were in the fall. Democrats understood the gravity of this case and how it could chew into any plan to flip the House in the midterms.
Democrats are banking on Republicans overplaying their redistricting hands. But how Democrats energize their base wasn’t immediately clear after their conclave on the subject.
«The American public gets to make this decision. That’s a great thing about American democracy. And we’re working,» said Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee.
REDISTRICTING BATTLES BREWING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS PARTIES COMPETE FOR POWER AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS
President Donald Trump speaks during a military Mother’s Day event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 6, 2026. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But «working» doesn’t necessarily garner votes. It would be «news» if the Democrats weren’t working on the issue.
«That doesn’t sound like much of a concrete plan, though, Mr. Morelle?» yours truly interjected.
«I am not going to share my concrete plan with you,» replied Morelle.
A group of northern Democrats – ranging from Ocasio-Cortez to Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., headed to Montgomery, Ala., over the weekend to make the case against the GOP’s redistricting ploys.
«We shall overcome,» intoned Booker.
Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., son of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, is now imploring Black student-athletes who attend school in the South to enter the transfer portal and play instead in the North.
Yet another way to pit the Big Ten against the SEC.
Rallying in the South may rile up Black voters. But it won’t help Democrats take back the House if all they’re doing is driving up voter participation in districts Democrats can’t win – thanks to the redrawing of the boundaries.
However, if Democrats do succeed in getting people to the polls – yet the playing field is tilted against them – we could be in for an econometric anomaly this fall.
It was a presidential election year in 2012. Democrats failed to win control of the House after losing it in a 2010 midterm shellacking. With President Obama on the ballot, Democrats secured nearly 1.6 million more votes than Republicans in House races nationwide in 2012. Yet Democrats failed to win the House.
Republicans won control of the House from the Democrats in 1994 for the first time in four decades. But with President Clinton handily riding to a second term in 1996, Democrats still struggled to win back the House. Democrats outpaced Republicans in the popular vote for the House that year by nearly 300,000 votes nationally.
Democrats have redrawn lines in their favor in California. But Republicans appear to have superseded that with their lines in the South. It’s a distinct possibility that Democrats could command more popular votes for House seats nationwide – and not get back the House. This statistical phenomenon is even more glaring that the party with the most popular votes fails to control the House in a midterm – not a presidential election year when a sitting executive is returned to the White House in the cases of Presidents Clinton and Obama.
That’s why some Democrats believe they should have been even more aggressive with redistricting.
Maryland is a case study. The Democratically-controlled state took a pass.
«I believe that we had an opportunity to do that. I supported it, and I still believe that would have been the right course for us to take,» said Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md. «These are extraordinary times And I think we should take extraordinary measures to protect the opportunity to have those votes counted.»
Maryland would have made the entire state blue, drawing out of his seat Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., chair of the House Freedom Caucus.
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Democrats see the GOP tactics as an existential political threat. President Trump commanded about one-fifth of Black male voters in 2024. And that’s why Democrats are framing this fight around civil rights.
It’s a race about redistricting. But Democrats also see this as a race – about race.
midterm elections, politics, republicans, democrats, house of representatives, the squad
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Después de cinco años preso en Cuba, el disidente Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara llegó a EE.UU. con un amparo migratorio
Después de cinco años de prisión y más de una semana de incertidumbre sobre su paradero, el artista y activista cubano Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara llegó este sábado a Estados Unidos con un amparo migratorio que le entregó el gobierno de Donald Trump.
La noticia fue confirmada por su entorno a través de un comunicado publicado en sus redes sociales, donde se informó que recuperó la libertad bajo una condición: salir definitivamente de la isla.
El activista de 38 años obtuvo el viernes un amparo migratorio que le permitió viajar a Estados Unidos, un trámite que, según sus allegados, terminó convirtiéndose en la única alternativa para recuperar la libertad. Su vuelo tuvo como destino el estado de Florida, donde reside una de las comunidades de exiliados cubanos más numerosas del mundo.
De acuerdo con el comunicado, uno de sus primeros deseos al llegar a Miami es visitar la Ermita de la Caridad del Cobre, un santuario emblemático para la comunidad cubana en el exilio, donde el hombre dejará una ofrenda en señal de agradecimiento. Ermita de la Caridad del Cobre en Miami. (Foto: EFE)
La salida del artista ocurre pocos días después de una situación que despertó preocupación entre organismos internacionales y organizaciones de derechos humanos. El pasado 9 de julio, fecha en la que concluía oficialmente su condena, distintos activistas denunciaron que Otero Alcántara había sido retirado del penal de máxima seguridad de Guanajay, pero no recuperó la libertad.
En cambio, fue trasladado a una dependencia de la Seguridad del Estado, donde permaneció alrededor de 10 días sin que se conociera públicamente su ubicación.
Durante ese período solo pudo comunicarse brevemente con la activista Anamely Ramos mediante un teléfono desconocido. En esa conversación, realizada bajo supervisión de agentes de seguridad, alcanzó a decir que se encontraba “bien”, aunque evitó revelar el lugar donde estaba retenido.
Leé también: Irán y EE.UU. volvieron a intercambiar ataques en Medio Oriente y Jamenei amenazó con darle una “lección inolvidable” a Trump
La figura de Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara se convirtió en uno de los principales símbolos de la oposición al gobierno cubano después de encabezar en 2020 las protestas del Movimiento San Isidro, un colectivo integrado por artistas e intelectuales que reclamaba mayores libertades de expresión y cuestionaba las restricciones impuestas por las autoridades.
Un año más tarde fue detenido cuando intentaba sumarse a las históricas manifestaciones del 11 de julio de 2021, las mayores protestas registradas en Cuba en décadas. Posteriormente fue condenado a cinco años de prisión por los delitos de ultraje a los símbolos patrios, desacato y desórdenes públicos, cargos vinculados a una performance artística realizada antes de aquellas movilizaciones.
Foto de archivo fechada el 3 de diciembre de 2020 que muestra a Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara. (Foto: EFE)
Su encarcelamiento generó fuertes críticas de organizaciones internacionales. Amnistía Internacional lo declaró “preso de conciencia” y sostuvo reiteradamente que nunca debió haber sido encarcelado por ejercer pacíficamente su libertad de expresión y de creación artística. La organización también reclamó que su liberación no estuviera condicionada al exilio ni acompañada por nuevas medidas de vigilancia.
La postura del gobierno cubano es completamente diferente. Las autoridades sostienen que Otero Alcántara actuó en coordinación con Estados Unidos para promover acciones destinadas a desestabilizar al país y rechazan que sea considerado un preso político.
Su llegada a territorio estadounidense marca el cierre de uno de los casos más emblemáticos de la disidencia cubana de los últimos años, aunque también reabre el debate sobre la situación de los opositores en la isla y las denuncias de organizaciones de derechos humanos, que sostienen que muchos activistas recuperan la libertad únicamente bajo la condición de abandonar el país.
El secretario de Estado, Marco Rubio. (Foto: Reuters)
Marco Rubio reclamó la liberación de más de 700 presos políticos en Cuba
El secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, confirmó la llegada de Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara a Miami y aprovechó el anuncio para exigir al gobierno cubano la liberación inmediata de más de 700 personas detenidas por motivos políticos.
“Pedimos la liberación inmediata de los más de 700 presos políticos injustamente detenidos por el régimen”, sostuvo el funcionario.
Rubio también pidió una reacción más firme de otros países frente a la situación en la isla. “La comunidad internacional debe dejar de hacer la vista gorda ante las violaciones de derechos humanos del régimen cubano y unirse a nosotros para exigir el fin de su represión”, afirmó el jefe de la diplomacia estadounidense.
cuba, Estados Unidos, preso
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Mamdani doubles down on democratic socialism while insisting Wall Street, business leaders can work with him
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New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani is embracing his identity as a Democratic Socialist, arguing the movement represents a return to the Democratic Party’s New Deal roots even as he insists Wall Street and corporate leaders have nothing to fear from his administration.
In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, Mamdani rejected the notion that his political label is a liability, instead characterizing Democratic Socialism as the modern embodiment of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vision for the Democratic Party.
«So much of what makes me proud to be a Democrat is looking at what our party used to stand for. You think about the Four Freedoms, you think FDR, you think the New Deal,» Mamdani said. «Those are at the core of what our party’s identity is, and yet it feels like to experience it, you have to read about it. You can’t see it around you anymore. And that isn’t something that I’m willing to accept, and I know that many feel similarly.»
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers a speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States of America at City Hall in New York, NY, U.S., July 3, 2026. (Anna Connors/Pool via REUTERS)
DE BLASIO DEFENDS SOCIALIST ‘INSURGENCY’ INSIDE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, SAYS TRUMP HAS BECOME ‘STATUS QUO’
The remarks come as Mamdani has emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent progressive voices following a string of successful endorsements of fellow Democratic Socialist candidates, who won their primary House races.
Even as he doubled down on Democratic Socialism, Mamdani insisted his administration welcomed private investment and collaboration with Wall Street, finance and real estate leaders, despite continuing to push for higher taxes on the city’s wealthiest residents.
«I think it’s important,» Mamdani said of the city’s relationship with private business leaders. «And what I have in common with leaders of those sectors — even amid disagreements, because I believe that we can raise taxes a little bit more on the wealthiest New Yorkers — what brings us together is both a belief in the city and a commitment to its continued vitality.»
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 23: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYC Congressional candidate Claire Valdez embrace during a primary-night watch party at 99 Scott Studio on June 23, 2026 in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City. ((Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images))
FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS
Mamdani pointed to the recent announcement of American Express’ new headquarters at Two World Trade Center as evidence that major corporations continue investing in New York.
«These business leaders, they’re not just making decisions on the basis of dollars and cents; they’re also making decisions on the basis of investing in the city and in what the city represents,» he said.
The mayor also rejected the idea that Democratic Socialism is incompatible with economic growth after the interviewer remarked that he sounded in line with a «capitalist mayor.»
NYC MAYOR MAMDANI CALLS THREAT OF RICH PEOPLE LEAVING NYC OVER TAXES ‘IMAGINED’
«I will always celebrate continued investment in this city,» Mamdani said. «And I’ll also look to ensure that more and more New Yorkers can be a part of those benefits.»
But even as Mamdani boasts his support for corporate investments, an analysis by the Citizens Budget Commission found New York’s share of the nation’s millionaires fell from 12.7% in 2010 to 8.7% in 2022, the steepest decline of any state, costing an estimated $10.7 billion in personal income tax revenue in 2022 alone.
The report points to New York’s high taxes and declining competitiveness relative to states like Florida and Texas as factors behind its shrinking share of the nation’s millionaires.
Congressional candidate Claire Valdez, Congressional candidate Brad Lander, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier raise their hands during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at King’s Theater on June 18, 2026, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Mamdani has made raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers a centerpiece of his economic agenda, arguing the city’s highest earners and most profitable corporations should shoulder more of the cost of funding public services.
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His interview comes as national Democrats debate the party’s future direction ahead of the 2028 presidential election. Mamdani argued that the victories of democratic socialist candidates signal that voters are embracing his vision for the party.
«For too long, it has felt like our party, the Democratic Party, the only answer we have is to say that we are not the Republican Party,» Mamdani said. «But we also have to have a vision of what comes after this administration.»
new york, zohran mamdani, democratic party, new york city, economic policy
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El Banco de Guatemala inaugura la exposición Patrimonio Artístico con 70 obras en el marco de la conmemoración de su 80 aniversario
El Banco de Guatemala inauguró la exposición Patrimonio Artístico con 70 obras de su pinacoteca institucional, una muestra abierta al público hasta el 7 de agosto en la Sala de Exposiciones “Carlos Mérida” que se inscribe en la conmemoración de los 80 años del banco central y en su histórica función de resguardo y difusión del arte nacional.
La exhibición puede visitarse de lunes a viernes, entre las 8:00 y las 16:00, y ofrece entrada gratuita. La apertura formal se realizó con la participación del presidente de la Junta Monetaria y del Banco de Guatemala, Álvaro González Ricci, acompañado por autoridades de la institución.
La muestra reúne piezas representativas de distintas etapas del arte guatemalteco. El recorrido abarca desde el regionalismo académico y las expresiones de la Generación del 40 hasta el posmodernismo y otras vertientes de la creación nacional.
El núcleo de la exposición está compuesto por obras pertenecientes a la Pinacoteca del banco central. A través de esa selección, los visitantes pueden acercarse a corrientes y lenguajes que marcaron el desarrollo de las artes visuales del país durante el siglo XX.
Entre los artistas mencionados en la presentación de la exhibición figuran Rodolfo Galeotti Torres, Rolando Ixquiac Xicará y otros autores vinculados a la consolidación de la expresión artística guatemalteca. El banco señaló que esta parte de su patrimonio ha sido resguardada, conservada y puesta en valor a lo largo del tiempo.
Durante la inauguración también fue develado el libro “Patrimonio Artístico del Banco de Guatemala: 200 Joyas de su Pinacoteca”. La publicación reúne una selección de las obras más representativas del acervo artístico de la institución.
González Ricci definió la iniciativa como una expresión del vínculo entre la entidad y la cultura. “Al celebrar 80 años de historia del Banco Central, reafirmamos que el legado también se expresa en su compromiso con la cultura. Como Banco de la Cultura, nos enorgullece resguardar este importante patrimonio artístico y, sobre todo, acercarlo a los guatemaltecos para que puedan conocerlo, apreciarlo y reconocer en estas obras una parte de nuestra historia e identidad”.
El historiador de arte Guillermo Monsanto también destacó, durante el acto inaugural, el valor de la Pinacoteca del Banco de Guatemala como referente para la conservación del arte nacional. Esa valoración se sumó al sentido institucional que la muestra adquiere dentro de la agenda cultural del año.
“Patrimonio Artístico del Banco de Guatemala” integra la programación de exposiciones que la institución desarrolla durante 2026 para acercar al público distintas manifestaciones artísticas y fortalecer el reconocimiento de la creación nacional. La muestra cobra un significado adicional por coincidir con el 80 aniversario del banco central.
La institución plantea esa conmemoración como un reconocimiento a ocho décadas de servicio al país, no solo en su condición de banco central, sino también en su trayectoria de apoyo a la cultura y de preservación del patrimonio artístico guatemalteco. Esa dimensión cultural fue reconocida desde 1967, cuando recibió el calificativo de “Banco de la Cultura”.
El origen de esa labor se remonta a 1966, año en que el Banco de Guatemala realizó su primera exposición formal con una muestra retrospectiva de Carlos Mérida. Desde entonces, la entidad ha promovido espacios para la difusión del arte, el reconocimiento de artistas nacionales y el acercamiento de la población a distintas expresiones culturales.
La actual exposición mantiene esa línea y consolida a la sala “Carlos Mérida” como un espacio de acceso público para vincular a los visitantes con obras de distintas épocas, estilos y autores. En ese marco, la selección presentada hasta el 7 de agosto expone una parte del patrimonio artístico que el banco central ha reunido y preservado como parte de su historia institucional.
galería de arte,pintura,exposición,visitante,arte abstracto
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DEPORTE3 días agoEl machete del arquero inglés en una botella que sorprendió a Messi tras el triunfo: el dardo de un ayudante de Scaloni a Inglaterra
- POLITICA2 días ago
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