Texas Legislature to take another swing at redistricting vote as
Democrats extend their walkout
[August 11, 2025]
By JESSE BEDAYN
Texas Republicans will again try to convene the state Legislature Monday
for a vote on redrawing congressional maps in their party's favor, an
effort that already sparked a national political brawl and prompted
Democratic lawmakers to leave the state to deny Republicans the quorum
they need.
The Republican majority is seeking to redraw five U.S. House districts
at President Donald Trump's urging as he tries to avoid a replay of the
2018 midterms. Those elections installed a new Democratic majority in
the U.S. House that stymied the president's agenda and twice impeached
him.
Now, Democratic-controlled states including California, New York and
Illinois are threatening to retaliate against Texas and Trump by
proposing their own redistricting, putting the nation on the brink of a
tit-for-tat overhaul of congressional boundaries that are typically
redrawn only once a decade.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he'll call lawmakers back to the Statehouse
again and again until enough Democrats show up to reach the 100-member
threshold required to vote on the bill. Democratic leaders in other
states are planning out their retaliatory redistricting plans if Abbott
succeeds.
“Texas, knock it off. We’ll knock it off. Let’s get back to governing,”
said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on “Fox News Sunday.”
As for the Democratic lawmakers who bolted from Texas — some of whom
have been appearing alongside the likes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom
and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker at news conferences — Texas Attorney
General Ken Paxton is asking the state's Supreme Court to remove some of
them from office or give them a 48-hour warning to return.
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Empty chairs belonging to House Democrats remain empty during
session convocation in protest to a redistricting map in the State
Capitol, Aug. 5, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Rodolfo Gonzalez,
file)
“If they show back up in the state of Texas, they will be arrested
and taken to the Capitol," said Abbott on “Fox News Sunday.”
When pressed about blue states' threats to retaliate — such as
Newsom's proposal to effectively cut five GOP-held seats in
California — Abbott argued that many had already squeezed the juice
out of their gerrymandering and would be hard-pressed to push it
further.
Democratic leaders say Abbott's plans are nothing more than a power
grab.
“They know that they’re going to lose in 2026 the Congress, and so
they’re trying to steal seats,” Pritzker said on NBC's “Meet the
Press.”
Past attempts by Texas Democrats to halt votes by leaving the state
were typically unsuccessful, and several of the blue states face
more hurdles to redistricting than Texas does.
California, for example, has an independent commission that runs
redistricting after each decade's census. Changes require approval
from both voters and state lawmakers, who have said they plan to
call a special election in November to set the process in motion.
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