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The Republican-controlled Texas Senate approved new congressional maps early Saturday, a plan designed to expand the party’s majority in Washington and reshape political power in the nation’s second-largest state.
The maps, pushed by Gov. Greg Abbott and cheered on by President Donald Trump, will take effect once Abbott signs the measure into law — a step he has already pledged to take immediately.
“The One Big Beautiful Map has passed the Senate and is on its way to my desk, where it will be swiftly signed into law,” Abbott said in a statement.
Democrats blasted the maneuver as an unprecedented power grab, promising to challenge the maps in court.
Expanding GOP power in Washington
The plan is expected to give Republicans a commanding advantage in Texas’ 38-member congressional delegation. By redrawing boundaries in urban areas and along the border, the maps would create 30 districts that Trump carried in 2024 by double-digit margins.
Currently, Republicans control 25 of the state’s congressional seats. Trump has been outspoken in demanding the changes, telling allies that Texas Republicans are “entitled to” at least five more safe seats.
The GOP has openly admitted the move is political. With the U.S. House nearly evenly divided, adding five solidly Republican seats in Texas could prove pivotal in maintaining the party’s majority. Democrats, meanwhile, need just a net gain of three seats nationally in the 2026 midterms to flip control.
Democrats decry early redistricting
Democrats say the decision to redraw congressional lines now — five years before the next Census-based reapportionment in 2031 — sets a dangerous precedent.
“This is not democracy, this is disgraceful,” state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin) wrote on X.
State Sen. Carol Alvarado, chair of the Senate Democratic caucus, had planned a lengthy filibuster but never got the chance. After a long dinner break, Republicans accused her of breaking Senate rules by fundraising off the planned filibuster and blocked her from speaking.
Republicans dismissed Democratic objections, arguing that the maps are legal and necessary to reflect the state’s growth and political alignment.
A new front in the redistricting wars
The Texas move has already sparked retaliatory plans in California, where Democrats are proposing to redraw their own congressional boundaries to offset Republican gains. But unlike Texas, California law requires voter approval in a statewide referendum before new maps can take effect. That special election is expected later this year.
Legal challenges in Texas are also likely, particularly on claims that the new maps dilute minority representation. Civil rights groups have signaled they are preparing lawsuits.
What comes next
Once Abbott signs the legislation, the new maps will apply to the 2026 elections, reshaping the balance of Texas’ congressional delegation. Court challenges could still delay implementation, but for now, Republicans have delivered on Trump’s demand for “One Big Beautiful Map.”
