Texas House Passes GOP-Backed Maps Adding Five Congressional Seats

Texas Republicans, urged on by President Donald Trump, have advanced a new congressional map designed to secure up to five additional GOP seats in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 2026 midterm elections. The Texas House approved the plan after Democrats staged a two-week walkout to block the vote, with returning Democrats subjected to police monitoring to ensure quorum. This mid-decade redistricting move, which breaks from the usual post-census schedule, has sparked national controversy and prompted California Democrats to propose their own redistricting efforts to create Democratic-leaning districts. Democrats have condemned the Texas map as a partisan gerrymander aimed at disenfranchising minority voters and have pledged legal challenges. Republican lawmakers defended the map as a legitimate political strategy permitted by the Supreme Court, while Democrats warn that such partisan tactics threaten American democracy. The map still requires approval from the Texas Senate and Governor Greg Abbott before becoming official.