Texas adopts electoral map aimed at preserving Trump's Congress grip

The governor of Texas said Saturday he will sign into law an electoral map aimed at carving out five new Republican-leaning state seats to help the party retain control of Congress in next year's midterm elections.

Texas legislators overnight gave final approval to the redistricting effort, in a boost for President Donald Trump. The state senate voted along party lines to pass the map 18-11, following more than eight hours of heated debate.

Last week, the state legislature's lower chamber adopted the bill, after Democrats delayed the votes for weeks by denying Republicans a quorum to do legislative business.

"Despite Democrats' petty stunts, we delivered on our promise. This map reflects Texans' actual voting preferences, and I look forward to signing it into law," Governor Gregg Abbott said on X.

Democratic Senator Carol Alvarado's last-ditch plans to filibuster the map were thwarted when Republicans used a rare procedural motion to halt debate, end the filibuster, and proceed directly to the final vote.

Fellow Democrat Sarah Eckhardt said shutting down a filibuster was "unprecedented."

"This is not democracy, this is disgraceful," she posted on X.

Trump boasted of the effort to create five more Republican-leaning seats, saying Wednesday after the bill sailed through the House that "Texas never lets us down."

The vote caps weeks of dramatic political theater that saw Democratic lawmakers flee the state in July to deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass the redistricting plan, and drew nationwide attention to partisan redistricting, known as gerrymandering.

California countermove

The Democrats claim the new electoral map dilutes the votes of African-American and Hispanic electorates who usually vote for them.

The Texas Senate Democratic Caucus said Friday on X that the state "has a shameful history of racial discrimination. These maps are just the latest entry in that history."

That stance echoed in the floor debate.

Democratic Senator Borris Miles denounced Republican complicity in "racist actions," saying the new map "does not reflect the truth of Texas, but instead manipulates and whitewashes it."

Speaking on the floor, Republican Phil King was clear about the redistricting effort: "I'm convinced that if Texas does not take this action, that there is an extreme risk that the Republican majority will be lost."

The cutthroat political gambit spurred California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, to launch a process for redrawing his state's map -- this time creating five potentially new seats for Democrats.

"If Texas wants to play hardball, we'll play hardball right back," Newsom said in announcing the California initiative.

Although Newsom hopes to cancel out the Republicans' advantages gained in Texas, his plan still requires voter approval in an election this November.

Both parties are now looking to other states where the rules might allow hasty redrawing of maps in ways that would create more seats.

Beyond Texas, Trump encouraged Florida, Indiana and Missouri to redraw their maps to Republican advantage.

The redistricting battle adds a volatile and high-stakes new element to next year's elections.

Republicans currently control the US Senate and the House of Representatives.

Beleaguered Democrats hope the unpopularity of many of Trump's policies will help flip the House. If Democrats did win, they would immediately gain power to investigate Trump and his controversial government members.