Texas Senate passes redistricting bill to create 5 new Republican seats in US House of Representatives

​​​​​​​By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, United States (AA) - The Texas Senate passed a redistricting bill that will potentially create five new Republican seats in the US House of Representatives for the 2026 midterm elections, according to media reports.

A new congressional map was passed by the state Senate on Friday after the Texas House voted to approve the bill earlier in the week, paving the way for Gov. Greg Abbott to add to the Republican Party's razor-thin margin of a three-seat majority in the US House.

The move was carried out at the urging of President Donald Trump to add more Republican House seats to retain the majority in Congress next year.

Rep. Todd Hunter, a Republican who wrote the bill for the new Texas map, minced no words about why the bill was created and passed.

"The underlying goal of this plan is straightforward, (to) improve Republican political performance," said Hunter.

Republicans pulled off the political victory despite Texas Democrats fleeing the state to break a quorum and prevent the vote from happening during a special session called by Abbott.

After two weeks of threats for their arrests and possible removal from office, Democratic lawmakers returned last week for the special session and the bill was passed by the Texas House on Wednesday and subsequently passed by the Texas Senate on Friday.

Democrats accused Republicans of creating a map that was illegal and racially discriminatory, trying to add a dozen amendments to the bill that would have halted the process, with their efforts ultimately failing.

"Members, it breaks my heart to see how this illegal and rigged, mid-decade redistricting scheme is dividing our state and our country," Democratic Rep. Chris Turner said in a statement. "This is Texas, it's not Washington, DC. The impulses of outside politicians and their billionaire backers shouldn't dictate what we do in this chamber, in this House."

Abbott will now sign the bill into law, but the gains Republicans are trying to increase may be nullified by California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom passed that state's own new congressional map that would create five new Democratic US House seats.

California voters will decide if the measure passes during a Nov. 4 election, unlike the Texas bill which was created by Abbott and Republican lawmakers without voter approval.