The Texas Senate has passed a controversial GOP redistricting bill that triggered a weekslong standoff in the House, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for approval.
The Republican-backed proposal, which cleared the House in an 88-52 party-line vote on Wednesday, aims to redraw the state’s congressional map and create five new GOP-leaning districts.
The Senate approved the measure early Saturday after a heated debate, marking a major step in a mid-decade redistricting effort backed by President Trump, who urged Texas lawmakers to secure more Republican seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Before the full Senate vote, the Texas Senate Committee on Redistricting advanced the bill on Thursday along party lines.
Democrats have vowed to challenge the legality of the new map in court, arguing it undermines fair representation and dilutes minority voting power.
California launches counter-redistricting plan
The Texas redistricting plan has sparked a nationwide fight over political boundaries.
Earlier this year, Mr. Trump asked Abbott to call a special session so lawmakers could create additional Republican districts, The New York Times reported. The unusual mid-decade redistricting was meant to help the GOP retain its narrow majority in the House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm elections.
The president’s party almost always loses seats in Congress in the midterms, according to historical data. Democrats gained 41 House seats and the majority in 2018, Mr. Trump’s first term, and Republicans picked up 9 seats to claim the majority in 2022, during President Biden’s term.
Texas House Democrats fled the state for two weeks to deny a mandatory quorum in the House, killing the first special session and visiting blue states to drum up support. They returned earlier this week, allowing the votes to proceed.
During that time, California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined the fight, introducing a new congressional map to flip five of California’s seats from Republican to Democratic. Voters will need to approve the plan in a special election called for the fall.
Newsom said the move was necessary to “fight fire with fire” and prevent what he called a Trump-backed attempt to rig the 2026 midterm elections.”