State lawmakers in the Texas House of Representatives have approved a controversial plan to redraw district electoral maps, in a move that Republicans expect will give them an advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives during federal elections.
The Texas House voted 88-52 Wednesday to draw new voting lines, following a weeks-long standoff with state Democrats, who left Texas to deny GOP lawmakers a quorum in protest over the redistricting plan.
The legislation now moves to the Republican-held state Senate, where swift passage is expected.
Congrats to the Texas House on passing the One Big Beautiful Map.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 21, 2025
It will make Texas, and Congress, a brighter shade of Red.https://t.co/brMbOKV1Sz #FoxNews
“I congratulate Speaker Burrows and the Republican members of the Texas House of Representatives for passing congressional districts that better reflect the actual votes of Texans," Texas' Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said in a Wednesday statement. "While Democrats shirked their duty, in futility, and ran away to other states, Republicans stayed the course, stayed at work and stayed true to Texas. I will sign this bill once it passes the Senate and gets to my desk.”
If they are enacted, the new maps could translate to as many as five new seats for Republicans in the U.S. House during the midterm elections coming in 2026.
Democrats left Texas and went to a number of friendly states on August 3, seeking to slow down Republican efforts to draw new district lines and secure time for Democratic governments in states like California to mount a response.
They returned to the capital in Texas on Monday after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called a second special session to move forward with the redistricting vote.
Democratic response
Democrats in the Texas chamber said the redistricting plan is part of a push by President Donald Trump to manufacture an advantage in Washington.
“This is Donald Trump’s map,” said Texas State Rep. John Bucy, who left with other Democrats earlier this month in protest. “It clearly and deliberately manufactures five more Republican seats in Congress because Trump himself knows that the voters are rejecting his agenda.”
“You may not understand gerrymandering. You may not understand redistricting,” House Democratic leader Gene Wu said. “But I hope you understand lying, cheating and stealing. Because this is what people do — people like Donald Trump. People like the Republican Party of Texas. When they can’t win, they cheat.”
The standoff also gave other Democrats time to move forward with their own efforts to balance Texas' redistricting plans.
In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a special election for Nov. 4 that would ask voters whether to approve a new congressional map that favored Democratic representation in the U.S. House.
Democrats have supermajorities in both chambers of the California legislature. Lawmakers are expected to vote on the first steps of the redistricting plan on Thursday.
"Donald Trump, you have poked the bear and we will punch back," Gov. Newsom said at a recent news conference.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
