Texas map passes adds five GOP seats

Texas Republicans push a new congressional map that would shift five seats toward the GOP and trigger protests and legal challenges.

Texas approves map that adds five GOP seats

Texas' Republican-led Legislature is poised to approve a new congressional map that would add five seats likely to go to the GOP in the 2026 elections. The move follows pressure from President Donald Trump to shore up party control of the House and comes after dozens of Democratic lawmakers fled the state to protest. Those who stayed faced heightened security, including escorts to ensure attendance for the vote on Wednesday.

Democrats say the process was rushed and they plan to challenge the map in court. Republicans defend the plan as lawful and necessary for governance and disaster response. The vote requires most of the chamber to be present behind locked doors, and the chamber’s doors will remain locked until then. The broader fight extends beyond Texas, with California considering similar moves to tilt its own map, highlighting a national pattern of redistricting battles amid a tense political climate.

Redistricting has become a political battleground that tests how far lawmakers will go to shape representation. This move could energize the GOP base and prompt a strong Democratic pushback in courts and at the polls. The scene at the Capitol also raises questions about civil liberties, procedure, and the real meaning of fair maps in a democracy. Beyond the numbers, the episode shows how partisan power struggles now play out in statehouses as much as in courts.

Highlights

The fight over representation will continue to unfold in courts and in the Capitol.