As Texas and California made their moves, the redistricting war spread across the nation. Initially, it looked as though Republicans, who currently enjoy a razor-thin 219–213 majority in the House—not counting an Arizona Democrat who has yet to be seated, after winning a special election in September—would have more opportunities to create favorable seats. Democrats, in the states they control, appeared hamstrung by a combination of institutional constraints, a lack of political will to circumvent them, and maps that were already disproportionately blue, making it hard to squeeze out further advantage. Last week, for instance, the leader of the Maryland Senate rejected a push to redraw the state’s sole Republican seat, citing both legal difficulties and philosophical opposition. (This week, Maryland’s governor, Wes Moore, pressed ahead, but it’s not yet clear how he’ll overcome the Senate-shaped obstacle.)