Texas governor endorses revised electoral district maps, propelled by Trump, aiming to secure five additional Republican seats in the Congress by 2026
In a move aimed at electing more Republicans, Texas lawmakers have given final approval to a redrawn congressional map. This decision, which was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, has sparked fierce protests from Democrats and a potential legal battle.
The partisan makeup of existing districts puts Democrats within three seats of a majority in the U.S. House. However, in midterm elections, the incumbent president's party usually loses congressional seats. With this in mind, the new map was designed to help Republicans gain more seats in the 2026 midterm elections.
The large Republican majority in the Texas Legislature made the passage of the new map all but inevitable. Upon their return, Texas Democrats were assigned round-the-clock police monitoring to ensure they attended Wednesday's session.
In July, Texas Democrats delayed a vote in the state House by two weeks by fleeing Texas in protest and to rally support nationally. This move was in response to the proposed redistricting, which they argue could be racially discriminatory.
However, Republican leaders deny these claims, stating that the new map creates more new majority-minority seats than the previous one. Yet, opponents can attempt to stop the new map by arguing in court that it violates the Voting Rights Act requirement to keep minority communities together.
The Supreme Court has blessed purely partisan gerrymandering, making it difficult for opponents to stop the new Texas map. As a result, the only way for opponents to potentially prevent the new Texas map is by successfully arguing in court that it violates the Voting Rights Act.
This redistricting event has sparked a gerrymandering tug-of-war for voters in states across the country. In response, California has passed a bill that will ask voters to approve new Democratic-leaning districts to counter any Republican gains in Texas.
On a national level, the partisan makeup of existing districts puts Democrats within three seats of a majority in the U.S. House. The battle for control of the House in the upcoming elections is shaping up to be a fierce one, with both parties employing various strategies to gain an advantage.
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