Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a new congressional districting map into law on Friday, giving Republicans a chance to gain up to five additional seats.
Abbott posted on social media, “Today, I signed the One Big Beautiful Map into law. This map ensures fairer representation in Congress. Texas will be more RED in Congress.”
Today, I signed the One Big Beautiful Map into law.
This map ensures fairer representation in Congress.
Texas will be more RED in Congress. pic.twitter.com/aOT7QCoSF8
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 29, 2025
Last week, the Texas House and Texas Senate passed the map after Democrat lawmakers who had fled the state returned for a second special session called by Abbott.
Republicans currently hold 25 of the Lone Star State’s 38 congressional seats, which could become 30 of the 38 in the 2026 midterms.
🚨Breaking News: The Texas State House has officially approved the new State Congressional Map for 2026 which is expected to add up to 5 GOP seats in the U.S. House of Representatives pic.twitter.com/zFnj7Jvdf0
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) August 20, 2025
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to Abbott signing the law by posting on X, “Congratulations on your new position as Trump’s #1 lapdog, I know you worked hard for it!”
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The Associated Press reported that Newsom signed a bill into law last week calling for a special election in November, allowing voters to approve a new congressional map that would net up to five more Democratic congressional seats in the Golden State.
If the new map is accepted, the Republicans’ representation in the congressional delegation could drop from nine to four of the 52 seats, or just under 8 percent of the total.
🚨Just Now: The new California congressional map for 2026 has officially been released
The Old Map
🔵 43 Democrat Seats
🔴 9 Republican SeatsThe New Map
🔵 48 Democrat Seats
🔴 4 Republican SeatsIf this map passes Republicans would lose up to 5 Congressional Seats in 2026 pic.twitter.com/3TxphkAmvH
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) August 16, 2025
President Donald Trump won 38 percent of the vote in California during November’s presidential election.
He carried 56 percent of the vote in Texas to Democrat Kamala Harris’ approximately 43 percent.
Democrats have several heavily gerrymandered states such as Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York.
Anytime you hear a Democrat complain about “gerrymandering,” I want you to think of this chart.
9 blue states with 32%-48% Republican voters: ZERO representation in The House.
California, Illinois, New York, Maryland, New Jersey and Oregon have 34%-46% GOP voting. Look at those… pic.twitter.com/4G6j3PJVFP
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) August 12, 2025
In the Land of Lincoln, Trump won 44 percent of the popular vote, but Republicans only carried three congressional races of the state’s 17 districts.
And New York Democrats pushed through a new congressional map after Republicans picked up several seats in the 2022 midterm elections, according to the New York Post.
The Republican delegation in the last Congress was 11, but in the current one, it dropped to seven of the 26 seats, despite Trump winning 44 percent of the vote.
The mid-decade redistricting in New York is one of the reasons the GOP won such a narrow 220 to 215 majority in the House last November, despite Trump’s convincing national victory, including all seven swing states.
Texas’s redistricting is clearly in response to what Democrats have already done.
The Associated Press reported, “Voting rights groups filed a lawsuit this week ahead of Abbott’s signing the bill, saying the new map weakens the electoral influence of Black voters.”
The outlet noted that the only way opponents can stop the Texas map is to prove it violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which forbids districting in a way designed to separate minority communities.
But, the outlet said, “Republican leaders have denied the map is racially discriminatory and contend the new map creates more new majority-minority seats than the previous one.”
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