Particle.news
Download on the App Store
50 ARTICLES
·
2h ago

Abbott Signs Trump-Backed Texas Map Aiming to Add Five GOP House Seats

Court challenges could halt use of the new districts for the 2026 midterms.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to the media following a bill signing as Texas senators debate a bill on a redrawn U.S. congressional map during a special session in the Senate Chamber at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Trump (42)
Image
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference at his office in the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on August 15, 2025.

Overview

  • Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 4 on Friday, finalizing a rare mid‑decade congressional redraw pushed by President Donald Trump.
  • Republicans say the plan could yield up to five additional GOP-leaning seats, while Democrats and civil rights groups allege the map dilutes Hispanic and Black voting power.
  • Several lawsuits were filed, and a three-judge federal panel in El Paso scheduled a preliminary injunction hearing for Oct. 1–10.
  • Texas Democrats previously fled the state to deny a quorum before the proposal advanced during a second special session.
  • California advanced a Democratic-drawn map to a Nov. 4 referendum to offset Texas gains, as a Utah judge ordered that state’s map redrawn under a 2018 voter initiative that Trump criticized.