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Legislators

Texas Legislators Pass Gerrymandered Congressional Map Amid Presidential Pressure

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Texas legislators have approved a new congressional map at the behest of President Donald Trump, which is aimed at flipping five Democratic-held US House seats in the 2026 midterm elections. The move comes after a two-week walkout by Democratic lawmakers, who delayed the vote and temporarily blocked passage. The new map has been criticized by Democrats for diluting the voting power of Black, Latino, and Asian voters. The measure must still be approved by the state Senate and signed by Governor Greg Abbott before it becomes official.

Key Takeaways:

  • The new congressional map in Texas is designed to flip five Democratic-held US House seats in the 2026 midterm elections, with the goal of helping Republicans maintain control of the US House.
  • The map was approved by the Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives despite objections from Democratic lawmakers, who argued that it was gerrymandered to dilute the voting power of minority groups.
  • The map needs to be approved by the state Senate and signed by Governor Greg Abbott before it becomes official.
  • The approval of the Texas maps is likely to prompt California's Democratic-controlled state Legislature to approve its own new House map, which would create five Democratic-leaning districts and require voter approval before it becomes official.
  • Democrats have pledged to sue to challenge the new Texas map, and criticized Republicans for making the political power move before passing legislation responding to deadly floods that swept the state last month.
  • Republican states such as Ohio, Florida, Indiana, and Missouri are moving forward with or considering their own redistricting efforts, while Democratic states like Maryland and Illinois are also taking steps to redraw their congressional maps.
  • The party of the president historically loses House seats in the first midterm election, and Trump's approval ratings have sagged since he took office in January.

Statistics:

  • 5 Democratic-held US House seats that the new Texas map targets for flip (Bucy)
  • 20-25% majority-Hispanic districts that the map aims to create (Republicans)
  • 435-seat US House of Representatives, where Republicans captured a majority of seats in 2024 by just 3 seats (Bucy)
  • 2026 midterm elections that the new map is designed to influence
  • 2-week walkout by Democratic lawmakers in Texas that delayed the vote and temporarily blocked passage
  • 3 seats by which Republicans won the US House of Representatives in 2024
  • $10 million allocated by California Governor Gavin Newsom to support the state's redistricting efforts (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/14/california-governor-boosts-redistricting-effort-in-growing-feud-with-trump)

Sources:

  • Al Jazeera, "Texas Democrats ending two-week walkout over gerrymandered US GOP House map" (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/18/texas-democrats-ending-two-week-walkout-over-gerrymandered-us-gop-house-map)
  • Al Jazeera, "California governor boosts redistricting effort in growing feud with Trump" (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/14/california-governor-boosts-redistricting-effort-in-growing-feud-with-trump)

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