Austin, Texas – Texas is once again at the center of a rising national fight over redistricting as the political debate over congressional districts heats up. Governor Greg Abbott recently called a special legislative session on July 21, opening the door for Republicans to revisit and potentially redraw congressional district boundaries—a move Democrats say is nothing short of a power grab.
This session was primarily about disaster assistance and emergency planning after the recent floods, but it has also gotten a lot of interest because it included redistricting. Republican lawmakers are looking for a chance to strengthen their hold on 25 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats and maybe even add five more districts to their margin. The fact that it is happening little over a year before the 2026 midterm elections has led to claims that it is politically driven.
According to Governor Abbott’s administration, the redistricting effort is a reaction to constitutional issues presented by the U.S. Department of Justice, which said that four Democratic-held districts were problematic because of alleged racial gerrymandering. Critics, on the other hand, say that Republicans are using these concerns as an excuse to change the lines in their favor.
The Democrats are now starting a big counteroffensive. The Democratic National Committee said it would send some 30,000 supporters to fight the redistricting effort from the bottom up. These activists will focus their outreach on persuadable Republican voters in Texas districts held by the GOP. Their goal is to build public pressure against what they say is a premeditated attempt to rig the political system.
“Republicans know that the only way they hold onto the majority is by rigging the system but it won’t work,” said DNC Chair Ken Martin. “Democrats will hold Republicans across the country accountable for their vote to rip away health care and food access and that starts with organizing from the ground up.”
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National Democratic leaders have strongly supported such sentiment. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Minority Leader, criticized Abbott’s decision, saying that the state should be focused on recovery and emergency management, not politics.
“While Texans battle tragic and deadly flooding, Governor Abbott and House Republicans are plotting a mid-decade gerrymander,” Jeffries wrote on X. “They should be modernizing emergency response — not rigging maps.”
Other high-profile Democrats are also signaling that they are prepared to respond in kind. New York Governor Kathy Hochul hinted at revisiting maps in her own state, telling reporters, “All’s fair in love and war. We are following the rules.” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez echoed the sentiment, saying Democrats shouldn’t be the only ones playing by the rules while Republicans bend them.
“If Republicans want to play by these rules, we shouldn’t have one set of rules for one and one for another,” she said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom was even more blunt. “Whether that’s a special election, a ballot initiative, a bill, a fight in court. If they proceed in Texas, we will be ready,” he said, adding that Democrats won’t stand idly by if GOP-controlled states press forward with mid-decade redistricting.
Meanwhile, Texas Republicans have defended the move as both legal and necessary. Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Governor Abbott, dismissed the outcry as partisan noise.
“While partisan activists focus solely on political issues, Governor Abbott is dedicated to delivering results on issues important to Texans, such as flood relief, property tax cuts, and the elimination of the STAAR [standardized] test. The Governor looks forward to the legislature addressing these topics, along with other critical issues, during this special session,” he said.
Still, the effects are huge. The Democrats only need three more seats to get back in charge of the U.S. House. If Republicans in Texas and Ohio are able to redraw the lines of their districts, it might give them a structural edge that keeps Democrats from getting the majority, no matter how people vote nationally.
There are also legal challenges on the horizon. Texas is already being sued over its congressional plans from 2021. Advocacy organizations say that the districts make it harder for minorities to be represented. The Justice Department was part of the lawsuit at first, but it eventually dropped out. But advocacy groups have kept going.
As the clock ticks down to the 2026 midterms, both parties are getting ready for a struggle that might be tough, not just in courtrooms and legislatures, but also at the grassroots level. That fight has already started in Texas.
