Texas Senate approves redrawn congressional map favouring Republicans

Governor Greg Abbott is expected to rapidly motion it into law, though Democrats person vowed to situation it successful court.

The Texas Senate has fixed last support to a caller Republican-leaning legislature voting map, sending it to Governor Greg Abbott for his signature.

The authorities legislature voted on enactment lines to walk the representation 18-11 soon aft midnight connected Saturday, pursuing much than 8 hours of heated debate.

President Donald Trump has pushed for the representation to assistance the GOP support its slim bulk successful Congress successful the 2026 midterm elections. It has 5 caller districts that would favour Republicans.

Abbott, a Republican, is expected to rapidly motion it into law, though Democrats person promised to situation it successful court.

The effort by Trump and Texas’s Republican-majority legislature prompted authorities Democrats to clasp a two-week walkout and kicked disconnected a question of redistricting efforts crossed the country.

The weeks-long showdown has roiled the Texas Legislature. Much of the play unfolded successful the House, wherever the representation yet passed connected Wednesday.

The showdown has besides inflamed a broader, state-by-state redistricting battle, with governors from some parties pledging to redraw legislature maps.

California Democrats approved authorities connected Thursday calling for a peculiar predetermination successful November for residents to ballot connected a redrawn legislature representation designed to assistance Democrats triumph 5 much House seats adjacent year. Governor Gavin Newsom rapidly signed it.

California’s representation needs elector support because, dissimilar successful Texas, a nonpartisan committee usually draws the representation to debar the benignant of governmental conflict that is playing out.

On Friday, Abbott called California’s redistricting “a joke” and asserted that Texas’s caller representation is law but California’s would beryllium overturned.

Trump wants much states to revise maps

On a nationalist level, the partisan constitution of existing districts puts Democrats wrong 3 seats of a majority. The incumbent president’s enactment usually loses seats successful the midterms.

The Texas redraw is already reshaping the 2026 race, with Democratic Representative Lloyd Doggett, the dean of the state’s legislature delegation, announcing connected Thursday that helium volition not question re-election to his Austin-based spot if the caller representation takes effect.

Under the projected map, Doggett’s territory would overlap with that of different Democratic incumbent, Republican Greg Casar.

Trump has pushed different Republican-controlled states, including Indiana and Missouri, to besides revise their maps to adhd much winnable GOP seats.

Ohio Republicans were besides already scheduled to revise their maps to marque them much partisan.

Redistricting typically occurs erstwhile a decade, instantly aft a census. While immoderate states person their ain limitations, determination is nary nationalist impediment to a authorities trying to redraw districts successful the mediate of the decade.

The US Supreme Court has said the Constitution does not outlaw partisan gerrymandering, lone utilizing contention to redraw territory lines.