Updated: 6:23 a.m. on Feb. 19, 2026
The group Coloradans for a Level Playing Field wants to put an initiative on the 2026 ballot that would allow the state to draw new Congressional maps for 2028 and 2030.
If voters approve, the state would join the redistricting tit-for-tat going on across the country after President Donald Trump urged Texas to redraw its congressional map to help Republicans retain control of the House in 2026. Several other Red and Blue states have followed or plan on following suit, such as Missouri, North Carolina, California and Virginia.
“No one wanted to have to take this action,” said Curtis Hubbard, spokesperson for Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, adding independent commissions that make such decisions are ideal. “But with Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican allies actively working to rig congressional elections, which could result in them gaining up to 27 seats, Colorado has to join other states in countering the power grab.”
The group has submitted three different proposals for ballot measure language, but each one boils down to moving the independent commission from its inclusion in the state constitution to state statute instead — or suspending the commission temporarily — so that there can be a new map drawn for the 2028 and 2030 congressional races. Under the proposal, the drawing of congressional districts would revert back to the independent commission after the 2030 census.
Depending on which ballot version is approved, it would require 50 or 55 percent of voters to agree to the change.
“We can sit back and do nothing or we can take action to approve temporary maps that we think will help keep our elections on a level playing field,” Hubbard said. It’s unclear who is funding the group.
The group’s proposed map could net Democrats a 7-1 congressional delegation starting in 2028, but would go into effect in a year when Republican Donald Trump would not be on the ballot.
GOP Rep. Gabe Evans, who sits in the state’s only swing seat, blasted the idea. He noted that state Democrats have “lectured everyone about the sanctity of the independent redistricting commission.
“Now that Coloradans have elected four Republicans to Congress, they want to change the rules,” Evans’s campaign spokesperson Alexandria Cullen. “This isn’t about fairness — it’s a partisan power grab to protect their failing extreme agenda from the will of Colorado voters.”
Evans flipped a Democratic seat in 2024, winning by less than 2,500 votes.
A spokesperson for Republican Jeff Crank’s campaign added the move is, “a shameful attempt by power hungry Democrats to circumvent Colorado’s nonpartisan redistricting process that was overwhelmingly supported by Colorado voters and enshrined in our state constitution.”
While Republican Jeff Hurd’s campaign pointed to voters’ attempt to take politics out of the proceedings.
“Colorado voters created an independent redistricting commission to stop partisan map manipulation. This proposal is an attempt to undo that decision simply because some Colorado Democrats didn’t like the outcome,” said a spokesperson for Hurd’s campaign. “You don’t suspend the rules for two election cycles just to chase a 7-1 Democratic delegation. That’s partisan gerrymandering, plain and simple.”
Some Democrats, however, note that an evenly split House delegation is not reflective of how Colorado has voted in recent years, and they see this as a way to fight back against Republican attempts to redraw seats and dilute Democratic votes in the House.
“Democrats cannot sit idly by while Trump marches us towards authoritarianism,” said Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, who’s looking toward November with a different issue top of mind. “That’s why I will be laser focused on serving the people of Denver and, this November, electing additional Democrats to our delegation in two Colorado Congressional districts — CD8 and CD5.
The 8th Congressional District is represented by Evans, while the 5th Congressional District, which has never elected a Democrat, is represented by Crank.
Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen added Trump has targeted federal funding for Colorado. “We cannot sit idly by as a target of Trump’s retribution and depravity,” Pettersen said. “We must use every chance we have to stand up and fight back and ensure Colorado voters have a choice.”
Colorado voters approved using an independent redistricting commission for congressional seats in November 2018. The map drawn by the commission led to 5 Democrats and 3 Republicans getting elected in 2022 — and 4 Democrats and 4 Republicans getting elected in 2024.
While the 2026 midterms is what led Trump to kick off the redistricting fight, there are also concerns that the U.S. Supreme Court could strike down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act this summer. That would weaken or eliminate representation for minorities across the country and Republican-controlled states could do away with majority-minority districts, allowing them to redraw as many as 20 seats in favor of Republicans.
Some of the state’s elected Democratic leaders, such as Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser, both of whom are running for governor, have supported the idea of redrawing the maps to counter Republican efforts in other states, although not all of those GOP efforts have been successful.
Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, which was formed last month, isn’t the only group trying to put redistricting before voters. Another group, Colorado Draws the Line, has been fundraising to also get an initiative on the ballot to redraw Congressional lines to give Democrats an advantage.
Editor’s note: Due to an error from the Evans’ campaign, a quote was misattributed to Rep. Evans. It should have been attributed to his spokesperson.
