AUSTIN, Texas (PNN) - August 23, 2025 - The Republican-controlled Texas state Senate passed new congressional maps late Friday, completing a legislative odyssey that included significant Democrat delays and sparked a nationwide scramble over redistricting.
The vote means the maps will go into effect when signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
President Donald J. Trump initially led the calls for Texas to redraw its congressional map, saying his political Party is entitled to five more congressional seats from the state because the 2020 Census included illegal invaders and therefore badly skewed representation in the districts. By redrawing congressional district boundaries in key cities as well as along the state’s border, Texas will have 30 congressional districts that President Trump carried last fall by a double-digit margin.
The GOP currently controls 25 of the state’s 38 congressional districts.
Democrats have accused Republicans of setting a dangerous precedent by not waiting until 2031 to redraw the lines, as is customary, and they said the new maps would hurt minority representation in the state, a charge their Republican colleagues deny.
Unlike the state House, where business ground to a halt earlier this month when dozens of Democrats fled the state to deny the body a quorum to move forward with legislation, forcing Abbott to call another special session, the Senate has not been stymied by those efforts.
With Abbott poised to sign the new maps into law, the spotlight shifts to Kalifornia, where Democrat lawmakers have their own proposal to redraw their state's congressional boundaries as political retribution for Texas' move. Unlike in Texas, where regular legislation is enough to change the maps, Kalifornia Democrats' proposal must also be approved by the voters in a special election this fall in order to take effect.