The capitol building sits in Austin on June 27, 2023.
Gov. Greg Abbott signed a new congressional map of Texas into law Friday that aims to help Republicans maintain control in the United States Congress following the 2026 midterm elections.
The map looks to flip several U.S. House of Representatives seats into Republican favor — a goal set by President Donald Trump in July.
Abbott’s approval of the map follows two special sessions, in one of which Democratic legislators left the state in a quorum break, a strategy used to prevent voting on issues by not meeting the minimum number of legislators.
Abbott said in a video posted on social media of him signing the law that the new map “ensures fair representation” for Texas.
The fight over the map will now go to court, where groups representing Black and Latino voters have already filed lawsuits to block the redistricting. Time has already been set aside in October in an El Paso courtroom to consider an injunction based on a 67-page complaint filed against Abbott, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The map targets Democratic U.S. House districts in the Austin, Dallas and Houston metro areas, as well as in South Texas. It also splits Tarrant County voters among multiple neighboring Republican districts.
Democrats immediately criticized the map following its unveiling last month, accusing it of racial gerrymandering and diluting the voices of minority voters. That sentiment has only grown since Abbott signed the change.
Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder said in a statement that the fight is not over, and they will continue to push in court.
“With a stroke of the pen, Greg Abbott and the Republicans have effectively surrendered Texas to Washington, DC,” Scudder said in the statement. “They love to boast about how ‘Texas Tough’ they are, but when Donald Trump made one call, they bent over backwards to prioritize his politics over Texans.”
Before the redistricting, a special session was called to address various issues like the Hill Country Floods and THC regulations.
Abbott added redistricting to the agenda after the Department of Justice sent a letter accusing multiple Texas districts of being unconstitutional and drawn with racial intentions.
Midterm elections typically favor the party opposing the president, and Trump needs to maintain a U.S. House majority to push his policies through. Currently, Republicans have a 219-212 advantage in the U.S. House, with four seats vacant.
Several states have shown plans to redistrict following the events in Texas, some in an attempt to cancel out Texas’ changes.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that his state will hold a special election Nov. 4 to let citizens vote on a new congressional map that aims to offset Texas’ redistricting.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe called on the Missouri General Assembly on Friday to begin a congressional redistricting to support Trump’s plans ahead of the midterms.
@PMalkomes
