The Texas legislature has passed a new electoral map that could secure up to five additional congressional seats for Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections.
Former President Donald Trump publicly pressured Texas Republicans to push through this redistricting plan to help maintain their narrow majority in the US Congress. The Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, is expected to sign the new map into law. “We’re on track for five extra congressional seats and saving your rights, your freedoms, and your country,” Trump said on his platform Truth Social earlier this week, adding, “Texas never lets us down.”
The new district map dilutes Democratic votes through a controversial practice known as gerrymandering, where district boundaries are re-drawn to favour one party.
Democrats in the Texas legislature, who are in the minority, fought hard to block the measure. In August, Democratic lawmakers fled the state to cities like Chicago and New York to prevent a quorum, delaying the Republican vote for over two weeks.
The Democratic caucus in the Texas House of Representatives has accused Republicans of attempting to “silence minority voters through racist gerrymandering,” arguing that the new map weakens the political influence of Black and Hispanic communities, who largely support Democratic candidates.
Of the 38 current congressional seats in Texas, 25 are held by Republicans. The GOP is aiming to increase that number to 30 in next year midterm elections.
In response to Texas’s move, California, led by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, has begun the process of redrawing its own electoral maps in favour of Democrats.
