The Texas Senate officially approved a new Republican-leaning congressional voting map early Saturday morning, sending the measure to Gov. Greg Abbott for his expected signature.
President Donald Trump strongly supported the plan, urging its passage to bolster the GOP’s position ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The newly drawn map includes five additional districts designed to favor Republican candidates.
Governor Abbott, a Republican, is expected to sign the bill into law quickly, but Democrats have already vowed to challenge it in court.
The push by Trump and Texas’ Republican-controlled Legislature sparked a two-week walkout by state Democrats and triggered a broader wave of redistricting efforts nationwide.
Democrats had prepared for a final stand in the Senate, aiming to prolong the process and force the vote into the early hours of the morning in a last-ditch attempt to stall the measure’s passage.
State Sen. Carol Alvarado, who leads the Senate Democratic caucus, announced on social media that she intended to filibuster the bill with a lengthy floor speech that could last several hours. However, just before she was scheduled to begin, the Senate unexpectedly recessed for a long dinner break.
When lawmakers returned, Alvarado never got the chance to speak. Republican senators accused her of violating chamber rules, alleging she had used a campaign email to raise money while promoting her planned filibuster.
Sen. Charles Perry said it “appears to be potentially unlawful, at least unethical, using state resources for a campaign purpose.”
A spokesperson for Alvarado did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The weeks-long standoff has deeply divided the Texas Legislature, with Democrats staging walkouts and Republicans threatening to issue arrest warrants to bring them back to the chamber. Much of the legislative drama centered in the House, which passed the map on Wednesday.
During debate, Democrats fiercely questioned Sen. Phil King, the bill’s Republican sponsor, arguing the redrawn map violated the Voting Rights Act by diminishing minority representation and diluting the voting power of communities of color.
King rejected those allegations, saying: “I had two goals in mind: That all maps would be legal and would be better for Republican congressional candidates in Texas.”
He added that “there is extreme risk the Republican majority will be lost” in the House if the new map is not adopted.
The showdown in Texas has intensified a broader national redistricting battle, with governors across the country — from both parties — taking steps to redraw congressional maps.
In California, Democrats passed a bill on Thursday calling for a special election in November to allow voters to approve a redrawn map that could secure Democrats five additional House seats next year. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the measure into law almost immediately.
Newsom defended the move, saying: “This is not something six weeks ago that I ever imagined that I’d be doing. This is a reaction to an assault on our democracy in Texas.”
Unlike Texas, where the Legislature directly draws district boundaries, California typically uses a nonpartisan redistricting commission to prevent partisan influence. However, the proposal requires voter approval before taking effect.
On Friday, Gov. Abbott criticized California’s strategy, calling it “a joke” and maintaining that Texas’ map is constitutional while California’s would likely be overturned.
Nationally, Democrats are currently within three seats of regaining the House majority, but historically, the president’s party tends to lose ground in the midterm elections.
The Texas redistricting plan has already begun reshaping the 2026 political landscape. On Thursday, Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the longest-serving member of Texas’ congressional delegation, announced he will not seek reelection if the new map is implemented. Under the proposed lines, Doggett’s district would merge with that of another Democrat, Rep. Greg Casar.
President Trump has also been encouraging other Republican-led states, including Indiana and Missouri, to revise their district boundaries to add more competitive GOP seats. In Ohio, Republican lawmakers were already preparing to make their map more favorable to their party.
“Republicans are not finished in the United States,” Abbott declared.
Redistricting typically takes place once per decade following the census, but states are allowed to redraw maps mid-decade if they choose.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that while partisan gerrymandering is permitted under the Constitution, drawing maps based on race is prohibited.
Many Democratic-controlled states, including California and New York, impose stricter limits on redistricting through independent commissions or voter-approved measures, which gives Republicans in other states more flexibility to make rapid changes. For example, New York is barred from redrawing its maps until 2028, and even then, it would require a statewide referendum.
California’s current system was created after voters approved two ballot measures — one in 2008 establishing the independent redistricting commission, and another in 2010 expanding its authority to include congressional maps.
The escalating battle has left leaders on both sides warning about the risks of a partisan arms race.
California Assemblyman James Gallagher, the Republican minority leader, argued that Trump’s push for new GOP seats was misguided but also cautioned that Newsom’s “fight fire with fire” strategy could spiral out of control.
“You move forward fighting fire with fire, and what happens?” Gallagher asked. “You burn it all down.”
{Matzav.com}
