President Donald Trump is ratcheting up pressure on Republicans to redraw congressional maps across the country, going as far as weighing a primary challenge to New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte if she continues avoiding a remapping effort in her state.
The warning — first divulged to POLITICO by a top national Republican familiar with the White House’s thinking — marks the latest example of Trump’s team threatening consequences for politicians hesitant to engage in the party’s aggressive push to redesign the makeup of the House ahead of next year’s midterms.
Ayotte, the rare Republican with an independent streak, has dodged redistricting despite some support in the state Legislature. She did not respond to a request for comment. In Indiana, Trump’s team is exploring repercussions for Republicans who don’t support its remapping effort that’s being backed by GOP Gov. Mike Braun.
“The base is onto this. If you are a Republican perceived to be in the way of Republicans, there could very well be consequences,” said the national Republican official, granted anonymity to discuss ongoing conversations, adding that the White House expects every GOP state that could redraw its map to do so.
And Adam Kincaid, president of the National Republican Redistricting Trust and cartographer of some redrawn maps, said, “The base is saying, ‘Hey, you should be doing this,’ and politicians are responding in kind. It’s kind of politics 101.”…