As states like Texas, California, New York and Illinois spar over gerrymandering, Republican Rep. Mike Lawler says the practice should be banned altogether. 

The congressman, whose district in New York City’s northern suburbs is one of the most competitive in the nation, said Sunday he plans to introduce a bill banning gerrymandering. He believes it would benefit Democrats, Republicans and independents alike. 

Lawler criticized Texas’ push for redistricting that adds five GOP seats and California’s pledge to respond with a map to “nullify” any Republican gains, calling it “a disaster for our country.”

“When you look at 435 House seats, only 35 were decided by five points or less last November,” he said on CBS News New York’s “The Point with Marcia Kramer.” “I won by six and a half points.”

He also criticized Gov. Kathy Hochul for defending the Texas Democrats’ effort to block redistricting after she approved a new congressional map last year, giving New York Democrats a slight edge.

“New York already did mid-decade redistricting just last year. So for Kathy Hochul now to say she’s outraged about mid-decade redistricting, that’s exactly what happened in New York,” he said.

Creating fairer elections

Lawler pointed out he is one of three House Republicans from districts won by former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. The district includes all of Rockland and Putnam Counties and portions of Westchester and Dutchess. 

Using New York as an example, Lawler said his bill would lead to fairer elections across the board, regardless of which party ultimately wins. 

“The map that we had in 2022, that was drawn by a court-appointed special master, resulted in Republicans winning 11 of 26 seats. Now we control seven. The map allows for, broadly speaking, us to go anywhere from six to 11. That is good for New York, that’s good for the country. It allows for competition,” he said. 

point-ablock-0810-wcbsep5j-hi-res-still-00-01-2122.jpg

Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY) appearing on the August 10, 2025, episode of “The Point with Marcia Kramer” on CBS News New York.

CBS News New York

It’s questionable whether a bill banning gerrymandering could pass in a Republican-controlled Congress, but Lawler said he plans to “build consensus and fight to get it done.”

He opted out of the upcoming governor’s race in order to seek reelection and help the GOP hold the House of Representatives in 2026.     

“I’ve been rated the fourth most bipartisan member of Congress,” Lawler said. “I passed 11 bills. Six were signed into law by President Biden. It is precisely because I’ve been able to work across the aisle to get things done. If more members were in districts like mine and had to do that, Washington would function a lot better than it does.”   

Click here to watch the full interview with Lawler.

More from CBS News