As promised, Texas Democrats who left the state to throw a wrench into their GOP colleagues' redistricting plans have returned to Austin. Politico reports that the Lone Star lawmakers have wrapped up their two-week impasse, meaning that Republicans now have enough legislators to pass the new map they're hoping for, which would give the GOP five more seats in Congress. In a statement, the Texas House Democratic Caucus says its members are now set "to launch the next phase in their fight against the racist gerrymander that provoked a weekslong standoff with Governor [Greg] Abbott and President Trump."
The return of the 50-plus Democrats, in the minority in both Texas chambers, comes after California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to hit back on the Republicans' plan in Texas by pushing for a redraw of his own state's maps, putting the nation's two most populated states "at the forefront of a national fight to reshape the congressional landscape ahead of the 2026 midterm elections," per the AP. Trump himself is now advocating for redistricting in other states as well, including Indiana and Missouri.
"We're returning to Texas more dangerous to Republicans' plans than when we left," THDC Chair Gene Wu said in a statement, per NBC News. "Our return allows us to build the legal record necessary to defeat this racist map in court, take our message to communities across the state and country, and inspire how to fight these undemocratic redistricting schemes in their own statehouses."
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