Texas House passes controversial GOP-backed redistricting map
By lauraharris // 2025-08-23
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  • The Texas House passed a new congressional redistricting map on Aug. 20, increasing Republican-held seats from 25 to a potential 30, following a partisan 88-52 vote.
  • Democrats introduced several amendments during the debate, including one invoking the Voting Rights Act and a satirical proposal involving Attorney General Pam Bondi's Epstein files, but all were rejected.
  • The new map now moves to the Texas Senate for approval and, if signed into law, would take effect for the 2026 election cycle.
  • In response, California Democrats are pushing a special statewide election this fall to override their independent redistricting commission and approve Democratic-drawn maps aimed at countering Republican gains in Texas.
  • The California plan could add up to five House seats for Democrats, reflecting a broader national battle over mid-decade redistricting as states like Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and New York also consider new maps.
The Texas House of Representatives has passed a new congressional redistricting map that could significantly expand Republican power in the state's congressional delegation. During the debate on Aug. 20, Democrats introduced multiple amendments, including one that would have effectively killed the bill and another invoking Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. One tongue-in-cheek amendment proposed delaying implementation until Attorney General Pam Bondi released files related to Jeffrey Epstein. All were swiftly voted down. After a marathon political standoff among Republicans and Democrats, the legislation passed along strict party lines with 88 to 52 votes. The legislation, which is expected to be taken up by the state Senate later this week, will potentially increase the congressional seats of the GOP in Texas from 25 to 30, a net gain of five seats. The current makeup of Texas' congressional delegation is 25 Republicans and 12 Democrats, with one seat vacant following the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner (D) earlier this year. Under the new map, Republicans could command up to 30 seats. "PASSED THE HOUSE," wrote the Texas House Republican Caucus on X, formerly known as Twitter, following the vote. "The Big Beautiful Map will ADD 5 GOP districts to our congressional delegation – A HUGE WIN for the conservative movement in Texas!" (Related: Texas Senate approves new congressional map in rare mid-decade redistricting move.) If passed and signed into law, the new districts would likely be in place for the 2026 election cycle.

California Democrats prepare countermeasure to override redistricting commission

According to Brighteon.AI's Enoch, redistricting is a strategic process that involves redrawing the boundaries of electoral districts to influence the political outcomes. California has also advanced its own set of heavily partisan congressional maps. On Aug. 19, lawmakers debated a proposal to hold a statewide special election this fall to counter GOP gains in states like Texas. Democrats defended the move as a necessary response to an increasingly nationalized redistricting fight, pointing to Republican efforts in other states to rewrite maps mid-decade. Steve Bennett, a Democratic legislator from Ventura, compared Texas Republicans' recent redistricting maneuver to authoritarian power grabs. "We prefer the agreement we all had to play by the old rules," he said. "But when autocrats change the rules and the norms that we are using to decide who has power, we can either fight back or we can potentially permanently lose the ability ever to fight back again." If passed, voters would decide whether to suspend the commission's authority and approve Democratic-drawn congressional lines through the end of the decade – a move that could hand Democrats up to five additional House seats, based on the estimates of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. Several other states, both red and blue, could also see revised House maps, including Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and New York. Visit GreaterTexan.com for more stories like this. Watch this clip of a similar incident four years ago, wherein Sen. Bryan Hughes said a state law allowed the arrests of 51 Democrats who left Texas to block voting restrictions.
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Texas redistricting showdown escalates: Abbott sues to remove Democrat leader over quorum break.

Trump backs Schimel in Wisconsin court fight as Democrats eye redistricting power play.

Newsom fires back at GOP redistricting push, unveils a plan to redraw California's congressional maps.

Texas Democrats flee to Illinois to block GOP redistricting as Abbott threatens arrest and extradition.

Gov. Greg Abbott asks Texas Supreme Court to remove Rep. Gene Wu from office amid legislative walkout over redistricting.

Sources include: YourNews.com TheHill.com Brighteon.AI NBCDFW.com Brighteon.com
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