Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Controversial Redistricting Map Into Law

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a new congressional map into law Friday, a move aimed at strengthening Republican control ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The map, backed by former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, increases GOP-leaning districts in the state and sparked immediate backlash from Democrats and voting rights groups.

“This makes Texas more red in the United States Congress,” Abbott announced on X. The rare mid-decade redistricting prompted lawsuits alleging it weakens Black voters’ electoral power, in violation of the Voting Rights Act. Voting rights advocates and civil rights organizations quickly filed legal challenges seeking to block the new boundaries.

Democrats strongly opposed the map, calling it a power grab orchestrated by Trump. “They bent over backwards to prioritize his politics over Texans,” said state Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder. Texas Democrats staged a two-week walkout, temporarily halting the plan before returning under police supervision. Still, the GOP’s dominant legislative majority guaranteed the map’s passage.

The fallout has already impacted the 2026 races. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the longest-serving Democrat in Texas, announced he would not seek reelection if the map stands, as his Austin-based district is set to be merged with that of fellow Democrat Rep. Greg Casar. California, in response, introduced its own Democratic-leaning redistricting to offset potential GOP gains.

With the Supreme Court upholding partisan gerrymandering as legal, the only legal path to blocking the Texas map lies in proving it violates the Voting Rights Act. Republicans have denied racial bias, arguing the map actually increases the number of majority-minority districts, even as they acknowledge it’s designed to secure more Republican seats.