The Census Bureau's release of new population data Tuesday will likely lead to a shift in political power from the Democratic Rust Belt to the Republican Sun Belt, potentially helping the GOP consolidate power in Congress.

The U.S.'s 435 House seats are distributed according to the census, a decennial effort that apportions power in ways that sometimes last for generations. State legislatures, a slight majority of which will be in Republican hands next year, have the power to redraw district maps to maximize the chances of victory for a party's candidate.

Redistricting and demographic experts expect the big winner to be Texas, which is expected to gain three or four seats. The Republican governor and an overwhelmingly GOP legislature there will redraw the electoral map to their advantage, according to Election Data Services, a political consulting firm specializing in redistricting, and the Pew Center on the States, both nonpartisan entities.

Florida is expected to get one or two new House seats, as will Arizona. Both states have a Republican governor.

Georgia, South Carolina, Nevada and Utah are expected to gain one seat each. North Carolina might gain one, as might Oregon and Washington.