Proposed ‘Rigged Districting’ Map Represents Trump’s Interests, Not the Will of Texas Voters
Gov. Abbott and his allies in the Legislature are handing democracy over to Trump
AUSTIN, Texas — Today, Texas Republicans released a proposed congressional map that caves to President Trump’s demand for skewed districts that would help him keep control of the entire federal government and dodge real accountability.
The proposed map for the U.S. House of Representatives could result in five more Republican-leaning seats for districts that Democrats currently hold. It would help the Republican Party keep its narrow majority in the lower chamber of Congress following the 2026 midterm elections. It’s a highly unusual mid-decade rewrite of the district lines that typically happens at the beginning of the decade following the completion of a nationwide census.
“This rigged districting map sends the message to millions of Texas voters that their votes don’t count as much as a pat on the back from one man in the White House,” said Kaiba White with the Texas office of Public Citizen. “Since 2021, when the Texas Legislature approved the existing maps, state leaders have defended them both in and out of court, over repeated objections from civil rights advocates. But because President Trump demanded it, Texas Republicans are willing to throw out their own maps and claim they need to be fixed. The only fix taking place if these new districts are approved is the Legislature rigging the outcome of the midterms in President Trump’s favor. The redistricting proposal is unfair, rushed, and disenfranchises voters, many of them in minority communities. Partisan redistricting is fundamentally flawed and must be ended in the name of democracy.”
The existing district lines were drawn in 2021 following months of debate and about two dozen regional hearings to gather public input from across the state. For this mid-decade redistricting, only a few regional hearings have been held within the compressed period of a 30-day special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott.