The Texas legislature has reworked the congressional map resulting in what will likely be five additional Republican districts for Texas, a move which sent Democrats fleeing the state in a quorum-breaking protest.
The absence by Texas Democrats has invited political standoffs from coast to coast with governors around the country promising to take action to prevent a Republican majority in the upcoming 2026 election.
Shortly after the 89th Texas Legislature had concluded, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he would call a special session to address unfinished business. Among his list of priorities was the directive to redraw congressional districts—a move that comes ahead of the 2026 election season. Citing “concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice” as the reason for this special session item, Texas faces legal action if they do not resolve this. In a July letter from the Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, she called on Texas to address coalition districts which she says, “run afoul of the Voting Rights Act and the Fourteenth Amendment.”
Texas Democrats seeking to protest the proposed map fled the state in a quorum-breaking move, which attracted national attention. Some Texas legislators fled to Illinois, where they were welcomed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Pritzker was asked by Colbert about the drawing of the Illinois map, which features heavy gerrymandering. Pritzker joked with Colbert, saying, “We handed it over to a kindergarten class and let them decide.”
New York Gov. Kathy Kochul was also among the vocal group of governors standing with the Texas lawmakers. In a press conference, sitting beside the Texas Democrats, Kochul said, “I have newsflash for Republicans in Texas. This is no longer the Wild West. We’re not going to tolerate our democracy being stolen in a modern-day stagecoach heist by a bunch of law breaking cowboys.”
Outrage over a mid-census redistricting plan is a bit hypocritical coming from New York given they just passed a redistricting plan in 2023 for their 26 congressional seats. The change resulted in Democrats picking up 3 seats in the 2024 election. (RELATED: Democratic Governor Joins the MAHA Movement)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Friday to vacate the seats of 13 lawmakers after they failed to meet the deadline set by House Speaker Dustin Burrows to return to the job they were elected to do. In a post to X, formerly Twitter, Paxton wrote, “These cowards deliberately sabotaged the constitutional process. Their out-of-state rebellion cannot go unchecked, and the business of Texas must go on.”
Paxton, eager to win over Republican voters in his campaign against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, also announced a legal complaint in California to enforce the arrest warrants of the Texas Representatives who gave a press conference with Governor Newsom on Aug. 8.
It wasn’t long ago that Wisconsin was caught up in its own redistricting battle. In June, the Wisconsin Supreme Court denied Democrats’ attempt at redrawing congressional maps ahead of the 2026 election.
Republican U.S. Rep Derrick Van Orden issued a press release following the decision, stating: “Today’s decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court is a victory for the rule of law, election integrity, and the Constitution. The lines as they stand were drawn by Governor Evers and affirmed by the previous state Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. The Democrats’ repeated attempts to redraw the congressional maps were solely because they did not like the results of free and fair elections.”
While Texas lawmakers are at the forefront of the battle given the five additional proposed likely Republican seats, political standoffs in multiple states are sure to continue as we head into a difficult 2026 election season. (RELATED: Wisconsin Lawmakers Looking To Repeal Governor Evers 400 Year Bill)