Texas Democrats say they're ending a two-week walkout over gerrymandered US House map plan

San Francisco Chronicle​

2 days ago

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Democrats say they are ending a two-week walkout that stalled Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts to satisfy President Donald Trump's demands for a greater GOP advantage.
Democratic leaders say they will return for a second special legislative session after seeing California Democratic leaders proceed with plans to redraw their own U.S. House maps to neutralize Republican gains in Texas.
The nation's two most populous states have been at the forefront of a national fight to reshape the congressional landscape ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump has sought to shore up Republicans' narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms during his first presidency, when Democrats regained House control and used their majority to stymie his agenda and twice impeach him.
Dozens of Texas House Democrats left the state more than two weeks ago to deny the GOP majority the attendance necessary to vote on redrawn maps intended to send five more Texas Republicans to Washington. They declared victory after Republicans adjourned that first session and Democrats around the country rallied in opposition to the Trump-led gerrymandering effort.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republicans on Monday aimed to resume pushing through redrawn U.S. House district maps that would carve out a bigger GOP advantage in the 2026 midterm elections after state Democrats indicated they were ready to end a two-week walkout.
In response, California Democrats are also moving ahead with their own reshaping of congressional districts to counteract Texas, putting in motion a potentially widening and unusually timed redistricting battle nationwide.
The redrawing began in Texas but has been stalled since dozens of Democrats, who are the minority in each chamber, left the state on Aug. 3, with most of them going to Illinois. The absent lawmakers had signaled they were ready return to Austin after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ended a first special session and California moved forward with its own plan.
The Texas House was scheduled to try convening a quorum again Monday.
Abbott put redistricting on the agenda at the urging of President Donald Trump, who wants to shore up Republicans' narrow U.S. House majority to avoid losing control of the chamber, and with it, prospects for Trump's conservative agenda in the later part of his term.
It is unusual for redistricting to take place in the middle of the decade and typically occurs once at the beginning of each decade to coincide with the census.
Many states, including Texas, give legislators the power to draw maps. California is among those that empower independent commissions with the task.
The nation's two most populous states have been at the forefront of the resulting battle, which has reached into multiple courtrooms and statehouses controlled by both parties.
On a national level, the partisan makeup of existing district lines puts Democrats within three seats of a majority. Of the 435 total House seats, only several dozen districts are competitive. So even slight changes in a few states could affect which party wins control.
Texas' maps would aim to give the GOP five more winnable seats there.
California Democrats, who hold supermajorities in both chambers — enough to act without any Republican votes — on Friday unveiled a proposal that could give Democrats there an additional five U.S. House seats. But any changes would first need the approval of state lawmakers and voters. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said that his state will hold a Nov. 4 special referendum on the redrawn districts.