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1h ago

California Sets November Vote on Party-Drawn Map as Texas GOP Plan Advances

The rare mid‑decade maps open a direct test of partisan power heading into 2026.

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Protesters gather in the rotunda outside the House Chamber at the Texas Capitol as lawmakers debate a redrawn U.S. congressional map in Texas during a special session, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Democratic Texas Representative Gene Wu speaks during a press conference after the passing of H.B. 4, during a session in which Democratic lawmakers, who had left the state to prevent Republicans from redrawing Texas's 38 congressional districts, returned to the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, U.S., August 20, 2025. REUTERS/Sergio Flores

Overview

  • California’s legislature approved and Governor Gavin Newsom signed measures for a Nov. 4 special election that would let voters temporarily bypass the state’s independent commission to adopt a Democratic-drawn congressional map.
  • The proposed California map is designed to create as many as five additional Democratic-leaning seats in 2026 if voters approve, with analyses flagging multiple Republican-held districts as newly competitive.
  • The Texas House passed a Republican map on an 88–52 party-line vote after a two-week Democratic walkout, with the Senate expected to concur and Governor Greg Abbott pledging to sign a plan projected to add up to five GOP-leaning seats.
  • Legal battles are accelerating as Democrats and civil-rights groups prepare Voting Rights Act challenges to Texas over alleged dilution of Black and Hispanic voting power, while California Republicans’ bid to stall the ballot push was initially rejected by the state’s high court.
  • President Donald Trump has pressed GOP-led states such as Indiana and Missouri to consider mid‑decade remaps, Ohio’s revision is already in motion, and both parties see small seat shifts as potentially decisive for control of the U.S. House in 2026.