President Trump is demanding Republican elected officials in Texas and other states redraw congressional district boundaries to preserve Republican control of the U.S. House in the 2026 elections. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his fellow Republicans are following Trump’s wishes, calling a special session to adopt a new map that gives Republicans an excellent chance of picking up as many as five additional U.S. House seats. This means Republicans would control of 30 of the 38 seats Texas holds.
Dozens of Democratic members of the Texas state House have left the state in a move to prevent the chamber from voting on the new congressional district boundaries that disenfranchise many Black and Hispanic Texans. The state House can only act if 100 of its 150 members are present. Democrats hold 62 seats, and at least 51 have left the state. Abbott threatened to remove absent Democrats from office if they didn’t show up to vote on the new district map Monday afternoon, but Democrats said he had no power to oust lawmakers. Democratic lawmakers have been ordered to locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber.
