The Texas House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a new Trump-backed congressional map plan that would net the Republican party as many as five additional seats in next year’s midterms, potentially solidifying GOP control of the U.S. Congress.
The 88-to-52 vote occurred along party lines. It came after Democratic lawmakers in Texas temporarily fled to deny the statehouse quorum to move forward with the redistricting effort.
The state Senate passed a similar map on Sunday, and the new map is expected to head to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk later this week.
In July, President Trump said he was pushing the Texas GOP to redraw state congressional maps to pick up more Republican seats, with the president later claiming the GOP was “entitled” to more seats in the state after his successful 2024 campaign there.
“Texas will be the biggest one,” Trump said at the time. “And that’ll be five.”
In a late-night Truth Social post on Wednesday, President Trump lauded the efforts in Texas, saying, “Big WIN for the Great State of Texas!!! Everything Passed, on our way to FIVE more Congressional seats and saving your Rights, your Freedoms, and your Country, itself. Texas never lets us down. Florida, Indiana, and others are looking to do the same thing.
“More seats equals less Crime, a great Economy, and a STRONG SECOND AMENDMENT. It means Happiness and Peace. But Republicans, there is one thing even better - STOP MAIL-IN VOTING, a total fraud that has no bounds. Also, go to PAPER BALLOTS before it is too late - At one tenth the cost, faster, and more reliable. If we do these TWO things, we will pick up 100 more seats, and the CROOKED game of politics is over. God Bless America!!!”
The redistricting battle in the Lone Star State produced a number of unusual scenes, with more than 50 Democrats temporarily fleeing the state, then facing arrest warrants upon their return.
As Democrats began to trickle back into the state in recent days, Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth remained on the House floor for days rather than sign a permission slip allowing members to leave only if they agreed to be shadowed by state law enforcement.
Protesters chanted outside the House chambers during Wednesday’s vote, where doors were locked to further prevent representatives from leaving the floor until the map plan got a vote.
During the debate, Texas Republicans openly described the maps as a way to increase GOP fortunes, but denied accusations that the plan was racist and aimed at disenfranchising minority voters.
"The underlying goal of this plan is straightforward: improve Republican political performance," State Representative Todd Hunter, who authored the bill creating the new map, said on Wednesday.
Redrawing congressional district lines typically only takes place at the beginning of the decade, after the U.S. Census.
Republicans in Texas believe that five districts currently held by Democrats can be redrawn to make the districts more favorable to conservative candidates.
Democrats argue that the new proposed maps are racist and unlawfully divide Black and Latino communities to dilute minority representation. The GOP on Wednesday said the claim was unfair, noting that President Trump won a majority of Texas Latinos in the 2024 election.
Across the country, Democrats have threatened to respond to Texas’s efforts with reciprocal redistricting in California and other blue states.
Former President Barack Obama said he supports California Democrats' efforts to redraw congressional districts aiming to offset the move passed by Texas Republicans.
“I wanted just a fair fight between Republicans and Democrats based on who’s got better ideas, and take it to the voters and see what happens,” Obama said on Tuesday in a rare political intervention and his first public comments expressing support for the push by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“But I want to be very clear: Given that Texas is taking direction from a partisan White House that is effectively saying, ‘Gerrymander for partisan purposes so we can maintain the House despite our unpopular policies, redistrict right in the middle of a decade between censuses’ — which is not how the system was designed — I have tremendous respect for how Governor Newsom has approached this.”
Newsom is backing a plan in California to redraw congressional maps via ballot measure in November; his party plans to shift five Republican-held districts to put more Democratic voters in them.
“We’re not going to act as if anything is normal any longer. Yes, we’ll fight fire with fire. Yes, we will push back. It’s not about whether we play hardball anymore,” Newsom said at a virtual news conference with other Democratic leaders on Wednesday. “It’s about how we play hardball. And California has your back.”
In the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans hold a single-digit majority and are facing an unfavorable midterm dynamic next year.
The Latest: Texas GOP poised to approve map gerrymandered for their advantage
Texas Democrats face arrest warrants after blocking Trump-sought congressional map redraw
Texas Democrat remains locked in House chamber after refusing GOP law enforcement escort
Obama makes rare political intervention to weigh in on Texas redistricting and back Newsom
Gymnast who sparked abuse inquiry into coach at elite US academy says she 'needed to speak out'
Students face new cellphone restrictions in 17 states as school year begins
New Zealand will spend $1.6B on military aircraft in a plan to double the defense budget
