Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
Texas Republicans have unveiled a mid-decade congressional redistricting plan during a 30-day special legislative session convened by Governor Greg Abbott in late July 2025. The proposed map would carve the state’s 38 U.S. House districts into configurations that could increase the GOP delegation from 25 to up to 30 seats—a change widely seen as aligning with former President Trump’s request to bolster Republican control ahead of the 2026 midterms. https://apnews.com/article/72f02ef1eeb04240cc8431e8f962fa10
The draft map redraws key metropolitan areas—such as Austin, Dallas, Houston, and South Texas—targeting multiple Democratic incumbents. One proposal would combine the districts of U.S. Representatives Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett in Austin. Supporters argue that the plan enhances minority representation by including new Black- or Hispanic-majority districts in urban regions. Still, critics contend it amounts to a partisan gerrymander intended to dilute Democratic votes among Black and Hispanic communities. https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/30/texas-redistricting-congressional-maps-house-republicans, https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/trump-s-redistricting-demand-sacrifices-texans-20794393.php
In opposition to the plan, over 50 Democratic Texas House members fled the state on August 3, 2025, primarily to Chicago, in a last-ditch effort to deny Republicans the 100-member quorum needed to pass the map in the 150-member House. Texas state law requires at least 100 present members to conduct business. House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu called the session “corrupt” and described the effort as “a political power grab” aimed at silencing Black and Latino voters. https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/03/texas-democrats-quorum-break-redistricting-map
Their departure triggered harsh reactions from GOP leaders. Governor Abbott warned fellow lawmakers they could face removal from office or arrest for skipping votes, and Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened fines, civil and criminal penalties, and compelled attendance, even if outside Texas borders. https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/03/texas-democrats-quorum-break-redistricting-map
The redistricting measure was advanced by the Texas House redistricting committee along party lines in a 12–6 vote, after extensive public hearings that drew strong criticism from local officials and community leaders. At one crowded hearing at the University of Houston, critics, including former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, and Representatives Sylvia Garcia, Lizzie Fletcher, and Jasmine Crockett, denounced the proposal as undemocratic and unsafe for voter representation. https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/01/texas-redistricting-gop-gains
Observers worry that the proposed map may backfire politically if Republicans attempt to extend their advantage too far in already gerrymandered districts. Experts say the plan also invites legal challenges under the Voting Rights Act, especially in districts historically combining Black and Hispanic voters, some of which were previously flagged by the U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/trump-s-redistricting-demand-sacrifices-texans-20794393.php
As of early August 2025, the voting process in the state House remains stalled due to the lack of a quorum. Republicans retain control of the legislative agenda but cannot advance the proposal without a quorum. It is unclear how long Democrats will remain out of state, or whether additional special sessions will be called. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/texas-house-democrats-quorum-break-20799924.php
At the federal level, national Democratic groups, including the DNC, have mobilized support to oppose the plan. Some Democratic governors have floated counter-redistricting measures in other states—such as California and New York—to mitigate GOP advances post-2026. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/democratic-governors-throw-support-newsom-back-partisan-redistricting/story?id=124295711
Until the special session concludes, and absent court rulings or further legislative action, the outcome of the proposed redistricting—and Texas’s political balance—remains contested and subject to ongoing legal and procedural developments.
