Trump To Pennsylvania Republicans: Fight Newly Drawn Congressional Map
(CNN) -- President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that Republicans should take a newly drawn map of congressional district lines in Pennsylvania to the US Supreme Court.
The state's Supreme Court released new congressional district lines on Monday to replace old, Republican-drawn maps.
"Hope Republicans in the Great State of Pennsylvania challenge the new 'pushed' Congressional Map, all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary," Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. "Your Original was correct! Don't let the Dems take elections away from you so that they can raise taxes & waste money!"
Republicans in the Pennsylvania Legislature have said they intend to challenge the new maps in federal court. The Supreme Court previously refused to hear a challenge to the state high court's ruling that the previous maps were gerrymandered in a way that violated the Pennsylvania Constitution.
The maps were released in time for the swing state's primary elections in May. House Republican and Democratic operatives said on Monday that they are still analyzing the partisan makeup of the new districts.
The redrawing holds ramifications for the midterm elections this fall. Republicans currently hold 12 of the state's 18 congressional districts (one is vacant pending a special election next month), and Democrats are targeting four districts this fall as they seek to flip 24 seats nationwide and retake control of the US House.
The biggest changes to the map come in the Philadelphia suburbs, where the seats of three Republicans -- Reps. Ryan Costello, Brian Fitzpatrick and the retiring Pat Meehan -- were already Democratic targets.
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