Many are moving to Texas, Florida, Arizona, and the Carolinas, states that lean Republican or have Republican-controlled legislatures.

Because congressional seats — and therefore electoral votes — are tied to population size, this migration has serious political consequences. By the next Census:

• California, New York, and Illinois are projected to lose House seats.
• Texas could gain at least two seats.
• Florida is expected to gain at least one.

Each new congressional seat brings another electoral vote, effectively shifting political power southward and westward — away from Democratic strongholds.

The Shrinking Democratic Map

At present, Democrats have multiple paths to 270 electoral votes. But if the projections hold, by 2032 their options may narrow significantly.

Even if Democrats maintain their so-called “blue wall” of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania — a trio of battleground states critical to President Biden’s 2020 win — it might not be