A Mid-decade redistricting battle

Texas and California are emerging as the frontlines of a new redistricting battle that could reshape Congress ahead of the 2026 midterms. In Texas, Republicans have introduced a mid‑decade map that would likely flip five Democratic‑held districts, boosting the GOP’s edge to as many as 30 of the state’s 38 House seats. The proposal redraws lines around Houston, Austin, and South Texas in ways that weaken Democratic and minority voting power, even merging two Democratic incumbents into the same district. The effort was pushed heavily by President Trump, who has pressed Republicans to lock in a larger congressional majority.

Democrats, alarmed at the scale of the shift, are fighting back not only in Texas with threats of quorum‑breaking walkouts and looming lawsuits but also in California. There, Governor Gavin Newsom and state Democrats are weighing ways to override the state’s independent redistricting commission to add Democratic‑leaning districts in response. Together, the two states’ moves signal an escalating partisan arms race over congressional maps, with control of the House hanging in the balance.