BREAKING: Texas House committee approves new congressional map

The redrawn map is expected to make five Democrat-held congressional districts more favorable for Republican candidates in the 2026 midterms. Texas Republicans argue the redistricting is necessary to correct what they describe as unconstitutional and racially gerrymandered maps currently in place.

The committee vote was made along party lines. President Donald Trump has previously praised the efforts to implement a new map, saying the updated districts would help the GOP maintain control of the US House in 2026.

According to data from the Texas Legislative Council, the proposed map would have resulted in Trump winning 30 of the state’s congressional districts in 2024, compared to 27 under the existing boundaries. The number of districts Trump would have carried by more than 10 percentage points also increases by five under the new map.

Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder reacted to the efforts by Texas Republicans, saying that the party will file a lawsuit should the map pass. In a statement, Scudder accused Republicans of “silencing voters on behalf of Donald Trump.”

“Democrats must fight this Trump power grab through any means necessary, and blue states across the country should use this as a signal flare to start carving up their own states and make these authoritarian wannabe Republican lawmakers regret ever opening up this redistricting discussion in the first place,” Scudder said.

In response to the redistricting efforts in Texas, Democratic Governors such as Gavin Newsom have threatened to carry out tactics in their own states that would allow their party to win more seats as well. US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has said that plans are being considered in states including California, New York, New Jersey, and others. One unnamed US House Democrat characterized the situation to CNN as a "redistricting arms race."