‘I would lead it’: Ferguson commits to gerrymandering Washington’s congressional map if Democrats win legislature supermajority
May 16, 2026, 5:00 AM
Governor Bob Ferguson signs bills from the 2026 legislative session into law. (Photo courtesy of the Governor's Office)
(Photo courtesy of the Governor's Office)
Governor Bob Ferguson said Friday on X that he would personally lead an effort to redraw Washington’s U.S. congressional maps if Democrats win a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers of the state legislature in November 2026.
“President Trump put out the call to rig the system in order to maintain the Republican majority in Congress, and red states are answering,” Ferguson wrote. “I support efforts to level the playing field. In Washington state, we would need a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate to change our redistricting process. If we get that supermajority, I would not only support a redistricting effort, I would lead it.”
Washington’s congressional delegation currently includes eight Democrats and two Republicans across the state’s 10 U.S. House seats. The two Republican seats are the 4th District in central Washington, held by retiring Rep. Dan Newhouse, and the 5th District in eastern Washington, held by Rep. Michael Baumgartner. Redrawing the congressional map could be aimed at flipping those seats to give Democrats all 10.
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What a supermajority takes in WA
A supermajority in the Washington state legislature requires 33 of 49 seats in the state Senate and 66 of 98 in the state House. Democrats currently hold 30 Senate seats and 59 House seats. Reaching two-thirds in both chambers would require picking up three Senate seats and seven House seats.
Washington’s congressional districts are drawn by a bipartisan redistricting commission, established by a 1983 state constitutional amendment. Changing that process would require a new constitutional amendment, which needs a two-thirds vote in both chambers before going to voters for approval.
Ferguson’s post follows action in Tennessee, where Republicans recently split Memphis into three congressional districts during a special legislative session to eliminate the state’s last Democratic-held seat. Critics in both parties have described the practice as gerrymandering.
Jerry Cornfield, who covers state politics for The Washington State Standard, told KIRO Newsradio’s “Seattle’s Morning News” earlier on Friday that the math for adding Democratic congressional seats in Washington is difficult. “You’re going to have a congressional district where Seattle and Spokane are in the same district in order to achieve any more Democratic seats,” Cornfield said. “I don’t know how that would work.”
Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.
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