In a vote on Wednesday, Texas House Republicans approved new congressional maps before the next Census to help them keep control of the U.S. House after the 2026 midterm elections. The political move fulfills President Trump’s wish to possibly gain five more GOP seats in the U.S. House.
House lawmakers voted 88-52 in favor of the new maps. The Senate could vote on the measure as early as Thursday.
During the debate, Republicans argued they believe these maps comply with legal requirements, and some even said the new maps would “undo” gerrymandering.
“We are not the first state to do mid-decade redistricting, and we didn’t invent the playbook. But who led the way? Blue states, the ones that you all fled to,” Republican Rep. Katrina Pierson said. “They say we’re diluting the minority districts. They call us racist. But the facts don’t match your rhetoric. Texas currently has zero Black CVAP districts, and under the new map, there are two. Now I haven’t been in the third grade in a really long time. But when you go from zero to two, that’s an increase.”
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Democrats call maps discriminatory, cite voting rights concerns
Democrats strongly opposed the maps, calling them discriminatory and arguing that they violate the Voting Rights Act, which protects against racial discrimination in voting.
“The question I want to ask as we prepare for a final vote on this bill is that, ‘Is it worth it?’” Democratic State Rep. Venton Jones asked the chamber. “Is it once again worth it to ignore the will of countless Texans saying ‘No, we don’t want this. Let’s focus on flood relief, let’s increase access to healthcare, let’s provide funding for our public schools.’ There are still bodies being recovered from the flooding, but we are here focusing on maps. Not flood relief, not returning the bodies to loved ones, but racist maps, not Texans.”
Democratic protest ends as California pushes back
Democrats returned to the Lone Star State earlier this week, after a standoff with Republicans, in a coordinated effort to prevent Republicans from having enough members present to pass the new congressional map. Their departure halted the redistricting process. In response, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said his state is set to approve new maps favoring Democrats, a move praised by former President Barack Obama.
