Texas Senate passes new Republican-drawn congressional map – NBC New York

The Republican-controlled Texas state Senate handed the social gathering’s new congressional maps in a single day, finishing a legislative odyssey that included vital Democratic delays and sparked a nationwide scramble over redistricting within the course of.

The vote means the maps, which have been designed to pad the Republican majority within the U.S. Congress, will go into impact when signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, a proponent of the plan who has been cheered on by President Donald Trump.

Democrats have promised to problem the measure in courtroom.

Trump initially led the requires Texas to redraw its congressional map, saying his social gathering is “entitled to” 5 extra congressional seats from the state. That’s what the maps intend to do: By redrawing congressional district boundaries in key cities in addition to alongside the state’s border, Texas can have 30 congressional districts that Trump carried final fall by a double-digit margin.

The GOP at present controls 25 of the state’s 38 congressional districts.

Republicans have been adamant, and blunt, from the beginning of the method that their train has been a political one aimed solely at rising their social gathering’s energy in Washington, the place the Home is nearly evenly balanced. Democrats want a internet achieve of simply three seats within the 2026 elections to take the bulk.

Democrats have accused Republicans of setting a harmful precedent by not ready till 2031 to redraw the strains, as is customary, and so they stated the brand new maps would harm minority illustration within the state, a cost their Republican colleagues denied.

Not like the state Home, the place enterprise floor to a halt earlier this month when dozens of Democrats fled the state to disclaim the physique a quorum to maneuver ahead with laws, forcing Abbott to name one other particular session, the Senate has not been stymied by these efforts.

With Abbott poised to signal the brand new maps into legislation, the highlight shifts to California, the place Democratic lawmakers have their very own proposal to redraw their state’s congressional boundaries as political retribution for Texas’ transfer. Not like in Texas, the place common laws is sufficient to change the maps, California Democrats’ proposal should even be accepted by the voters in a particular election this fall with the intention to take impact.