Austin, Texas (BN24) – Texas Republicans approved a sweeping redistricting plan Wednesday that aims to flip five Democratic-held U.S. House seats and strengthen President Donald Trump’s push to maintain his party’s narrow majority in Congress ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The Texas House passed the map on a party-line vote of 88-52 after Democrats ended a two-week walkout that had stalled legislative action. The measure now moves to the state Senate, with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott expected to sign it into law.
The unusual mid-decade redistricting was carried out at Trump’s urging as Republicans seek to insulate their slim control of the U.S. House. Democrats denounced the move as a partisan power grab and accused Republicans of deliberately weakening the voting strength of minority communities in violation of federal law.
“This is Donald Trump’s map,” Democratic state Rep. John Bucy said during debate on the House floor. “It clearly manufactures five more Republican seats in Congress because Trump knows voters are rejecting his agenda. This is not democracy — this is authoritarianism in real time.”
Republicans argued the map reflects political realities and will actually increase the number of majority-Hispanic districts. The GOP currently controls 25 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats under a Republican-drawn map passed four years ago.
The Texas showdown coincides with Democrats in California advancing their own redistricting package, backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, to flip five Republican seats. California’s Supreme Court rejected an emergency challenge from GOP lawmakers this week, clearing the way for a quick legislative vote.
The clash between the two most populous states underscores how both parties are using redistricting as a weapon in an increasingly bitter fight for control of Congress. Other battleground states, including Ohio, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Maryland, and Illinois, are also considering new maps to bolster partisan advantages.
Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years after the U.S. Census, but Texas’ mid-decade effort highlights the stakes of narrow margins in Washington. Trump and his Republican allies have openly acknowledged their intent to leverage the new map to lock in power, even as Democrats and civil rights groups prepare legal challenges that could drag the dispute into federal courts.
Nationally, Republicans reclaimed the U.S. House in 2024 by only three seats, and history suggests the party in the White House often loses ground in midterm elections. With Trump’s approval ratings slipping since his return to office in January, the new Texas map represents one of his most aggressive plays to secure political survival.
