Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
In mid-2025, Texas lawmakers launched an unusual mid-decade redistricting effort, aimed at redrawing the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 elections. Spearheaded by Governor Greg Abbott and backed by national Republican leaders, the initiative proposes shifting five Democratic-held U.S. House districts—primarily in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and South Texas—into more Republican-leaning configurations. If enacted, Republicans could increase their current congressional majority from 25 to as many as 30 of the state’s 38 seats.
Supporters argue that the redistricting reflects demographic and political shifts. Republicans point to gains among Latino voters and the creation of new Black-majority districts in Dallas and Houston. They also cite a recent U.S. Department of Justice letter that raised concerns about the constitutionality of four existing “coalition districts” where minority groups often vote together. GOP officials claim the new map addresses those legal issues and is constitutionally sound.
Critics, however, describe the process as a partisan power grab. Texas House Democrats, civil rights groups, and national Democratic organizations argue that the new map would weaken minority voting power and tilt the congressional balance unfairly toward the GOP. They have launched legal challenges, initiated public outreach campaigns, and have even discussed procedural maneuvers to block the bill’s passage.
The redistricting push comes amid ongoing recovery from devastating July 4 floods. Governor Abbott called a special session to address both flood relief and redistricting, a move Democrats decried as opportunistic. In a statement, the Texas House Democratic Caucus said Abbott is “playing politics with flood relief” and using the session to “rig the 2026 election.” They pledged to withhold support for all legislation until “meaningful flood reform and relief” is passed.
State Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, who served as Vice Chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee in 2021, criticized the governor’s reversal on the very maps he approved four years ago. “This is a raw political power grab,” Hinojosa said. He noted that in 2021, he proposed amendments to make congressional districts in the Rio Grande Valley more competitive, amendments that were rejected along party lines. “Representatives should not be allowed to cherry-pick their voters,” he warned.
The Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC) echoed those concerns. “This was never about flood victims,” said MALC Chair Rep. Ramón Romero, Jr. “It’s about weakening Latino representation and locking in Trump’s influence,” MALC argued that Latinos—who now make up nearly half of Texas’s population—are being denied fair representation and warned of long-term legal consequences.
Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder called the redistricting proposal a “racist, desperate power grab” and directly accused Republicans of serving former President Donald Trump’s political interests. “When Trump can’t win, he cheats—and Texas Republicans just proved they’ll help him,” said Scudder. He pledged that Democrats would oppose the map with “every available method.”
Texas House Democrats announced they will hold a virtual press briefing on Friday, August 1, to discuss what they are calling the “Trump Texas Takeover” maps. According to their statement, the briefing will focus on how the proposed maps would impact communities across the state and outline their strategy to resist the legislation. “This is a corrupt, racially motivated gerrymander,” the caucus said, “and we will fight it with every tool we have.”
As the legislative session continues, the future of the maps—and their impact on both Texas and the national political landscape—remains uncertain. Legal challenges are likely, and with public hearings beginning in late July, both sides are calling on Texans to get involved.
