The Texas Senate approved a Republican-favoring congressional map early Saturday morning, ABC News reported.
The map creates five new GOP-leaning districts that President Donald Trump championed to protect the party’s narrow House majority ahead of 2026. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott will sign the legislation despite Democrats’ promises to mount legal challenges claiming Voting Rights Act violations, according to ABC News. The map’s passage followed a dramatic showdown where Republicans blocked Democratic State Sen. Carol Alvarado’s planned filibuster by accusing her of violating Senate rules through campaign fundraising.
Republican State Sen. Phil King, who sponsored the measure, stated his intentions plainly: “I had two goals in mind: That all maps would be legal and would be better for Republican congressional candidates in Texas.” He said that “There is extreme risk the Republican majority will be lost” without the new map, the outlet reported.
The Texas action triggered California Democrats to approve their own redistricting plan Thursday, requiring voter approval in November. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called it “a reaction to an assault on our democracy in Texas.” (RELATED: ‘Hell No’: Why Some Californians Want Zero Part In Newsom’s Gerrymandering Scheme)
The redistricting battle has spread nationally, with Trump urging Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio to redraw their maps. Democrats currently sit three seats away from a House majority, according to ABC News.
The Texas map has already forced Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett to announce he won’t seek reelection if it takes effect, as his district would overlap with another Democratic incumbent’s territory, the outlet reported. Abbott dismissed California’s response as “a joke” while declaring, “Republicans are not finished in the United States.”
