Texas House of Representatives approves Republican redistricting maps

By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, United States (AA) - Lawmakers in the state of Texas voted Wednesday to approve new congressional maps that would give Republicans as many as five new seats in next year's elections for the US House of Representatives, according to multiple media reports.

The vote in the Texas House of Representatives comes in the wake of Democratic lawmakers fleeing the state on Aug. 3 to avoid a special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott. Democrats returned for Wednesday's special session and the measure passed by an 88-52 party-line vote.

The congressional maps still need to be approved by the Republican-controlled state Senate and signed by Abbott before they become official, but that appears to be a formality since Republicans have the majority vote in both political chambers.

The spotlight on the state's redistricting battle has ignited a firestorm in Democratic-controlled states to counter the Texas move, which was prompted by President Donald Trump to give Republicans an edge to their razor-thin majority during the upcoming 2026 midterm elections for congressional control of the US House of Representatives.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has already vowed to equalize the Texas move via the Democratic-controlled state legislature to approve a new House map creating five new Democratic-leaning districts.

Unlike the Texas vote, which was mandated through a special session called by Abbott, the California redistricting map would require approval by voters in November before it can be implemented for the 2026 elections.

"This is a new Democratic Party, this is a new day, this is new energy out there all across this country," Newsom told reporters Wednesday. "And we're going to fight fire with fire."

Democrats have also vowed to challenge the new Texas congressional map in court, claiming that Republicans made the political power move before passing legislation to approve emergency disaster funds in response to deadly floods that swept through the state last month.

The power play is no secret, with Texas State Rep. Todd Hunter, who wrote the legislation, saying the US Supreme Court has allowed politicians to redraw districts for partisan purposes.

"The underlying goal of this plan is straightforward: improve Republican political performance," Hunter said on the House floor during the vote. "What's the difference, to the whole world listening? Republicans like it, and Democrats do not."

Democrats said this was more than just a disagreement about partisanship but rather about abiding by the rules of a democratic society.

"In a democracy, people choose their representatives," State Rep. Chris Turner said. "This bill flips that on its head and lets (politicians) in Washington, DC choose their voters."

State Rep. John Bucy placed blame all the way to the top of the Republican Party.

"This is Donald Trump's map," Bucy said. "It clearly and deliberately manufactures five more Republican seats in Congress because Trump himself knows that the voters are rejecting his agenda."

Political experts said the incumbent president's party usually loses seats during midterm elections.

With Republicans holding on to the US House of Representatives by a mere three votes, Trump is taking the extraordinary step to remake Republican-leaning congressional maps in states beyond Texas. The president has also been urging Republican leaders in states like Indiana and Missouri to do the same, with Ohio already revising their map before the Texas vote.

Democrats are reportedly trying to play a tit-for-tat political game with Republicans, with Maryland and New York considering redrawing Democrat-friendly congressional maps just like California.

As the redistricting battle rages on, Texas State Rep. Ron Reynolds noted that the United States just marked the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act and warned Republicans of the legacy they would be remembered for if they voted for what he called "this racial gerrymander."

"Just like the people who were on the wrong side of history in 1965, history will be looking at the people who made the decisions in the body this day," he said.