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2w ago

Texas Launches Second Special Session on Trump-Backed Redistricting as California Prepares Counter-Remap

The move marks an escalation in a multi-state standoff that could shift the balance of the narrowly divided House in 2026.

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The exterior of the Texas Capitol on the day of a special session of the Texas House after Democratic lawmakers left the state to deny Republicans the opportunity to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts, in Austin, Texas, U.S., August 13, 2025. REUTERS/Sergio Flores

Overview

  • Governor Greg Abbott called a second 30-day special session starting Aug. 15 with directives to redraw congressional maps that could net Republicans up to five additional U.S. House seats.
  • More than 50 Texas House Democrats who fled to deny a quorum have said they will remain out of state until the special session ends and California officially releases its own remapping proposal.
  • Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled an Election Rigging Response Act that would hold a Nov. 4 voter referendum to temporarily replace California’s independent commission with legislature-drawn maps aimed at flipping five seats.
  • Texas leaders have petitioned courts to remove absent Democratic lawmakers from office and imposed fines up to $500 per day, but civil arrest warrants cannot be executed on legislators sheltering out of state.
  • Republicans now hold a 219-212 House majority, so small shifts in a few districts across multiple states could determine control after 2026 and are fueling expected Voting Rights Act lawsuits.