Abbott says he will approve contentious GOP redistricting bill after Texas Senate passage

The Texas Senate has handed a controversial GOP redistricting invoice that triggered a weekslong standoff within the Home, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for approval.

The Republican-backed proposal, which cleared the House in an 88-52 party-line vote on Wednesday, goals to redraw the state’s congressional map and create 5 new GOP-leaning districts.

Abbott mentioned Saturday morning that he would “swiftly” signal the invoice into regulation as soon as it arrived on his desk. 

“I promised we’d get this performed, and delivered on that promise,” Abbott said in a statement. 

The Senate permitted the measure early Saturday after a heated debate, marking a significant step in a mid-decade redistricting effort backed by President Trump, who urged Texas lawmakers to safe extra Republican seats forward of the 2026 midterm elections.

Earlier than the complete Senate vote, the Texas Senate Committee on Redistricting advanced the bill on Thursday alongside social gathering strains.

Democrats have vowed to problem the legality of the brand new map in court docket, arguing it undermines honest illustration and dilutes minority voting energy.

California launches counter-redistricting plan

The Texas redistricting plan has sparked a nationwide battle over political boundaries.

Earlier this 12 months, Mr. Trump asked Abbott to name a particular session so lawmakers might create further Republican districts, The New York Occasions reported. The bizarre mid-decade redistricting was meant to assist the GOP retain its slender majority within the Home of Representatives after the 2026 midterm elections.

The president’s social gathering virtually all the time loses seats in Congress within the midterms, in keeping with historic information. Democrats gained 41 Home seats and the bulk in 2018, Mr. Trump’s first time period, and Republicans picked up 9 seats to assert the bulk in 2022, throughout President Biden’s time period.

Texas Home Democrats fled the state for 2 weeks to disclaim a compulsory quorum within the Home, killing the primary particular session and visiting blue states to drum up assist. They returned earlier this week, permitting the votes to proceed.

Throughout that point, California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined the battle, introducing a new congressional map to flip 5 of California’s seats from Republican to Democratic. Voters might want to approve the plan in a particular election referred to as for the autumn.

Newsom mentioned the transfer was essential to “battle hearth with hearth” and stop what he referred to as a Trump-backed try to rig the 2026 midterm elections.”