Overview

• Texas lawmakers convened for the first public hearings of Gov. Greg Abbott’s special session after President Trump urged a map overhaul to net five extra GOP seats.
• Republican leaders in other unified GOP states, including Ohio and Missouri, have indicated they may pursue similar mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms.
• House Democratic leaders and governors such as Hakeem Jeffries and Gavin Newsom have pledged to counter with reciprocal redistricting efforts in Democrat-controlled states despite independent commissions and legal hurdles.
• The Justice Department raised constitutional and Voting Rights Act concerns over Texas’s 2021 congressional map, foreshadowing potential federal litigation against any new plan.
• Some Democrats, like Joaquin Castro and Alex Lee, warn that departing from the decennial norm erodes election fairness, and analysts caution prolonged court battles could backfire by turning safe districts competitive.