As Hakeem Jeffries sits in the minority of a GOP-controlled Washington, he is still haunted by a Republican gerrymandering gambit that he believes cost him the speaker's gavel -- and cost his party control of the House.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) on Jan. 8 at the U. S. Capitol. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) The outcome of a state Senate special election in Texas has emboldened Democrats as they seek to score upsets in five congressional districts redrawn to the advantage of the GOP ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.