Dozens of Democratic lawmakers who left Texas to block a controversial redistricting effort ended their two-week standoff on Monday, allowing progress on a new electoral map backed by Republican President Donald Trump. Their return gives the Texas House the quorum needed to move forward with approving a map that adds five new congressional districts likely to favour Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Dozens of Democratic legislators who fledTexasto halt an aggressive redistricting drive ended their two-week standoff on Monday, clearing the way for a new electoral map pushed by Republican PresidentDonald Trump.
With their return, theTexasHouse now has enough lawmakers to form a quorum and approve a map that carves out five new Republican-friendly US congressional seats ahead of the 2026 midtermelections.
More than 50 Democrats had stalled legislative business with their walk-out, which took them across the country and garnered national headlines as they sought to draw attention to the rare mid-decade redistricting push.
"When Republicans tried to silence minority voters through racist gerrymandering, Texas House Democrats answered the call," the Texas House Democratic Caucus said in a statement on the legislators' return.
"After rallying Americans to join this existential battle fordemocracy, we're returning to Texas on our terms ready to build the legal record needed to defeat these unconstitutional maps in court. The fight continues."
The moves in Texas have set off an escalating redistricting battle across the country, with Republican governors in several other states exploring new maps in a bid to protect the party's razor-thin majority in the US House of Representatives.
Read moreTexas governor vows to arrest absent Democrats blocking redistricting vote
Politico reported that Republicans could draw as many as 10 new seats ahead of the midterms and are targetingOhio, Missouri, New Hampshire, Indiana, South Carolina andFlorida.
Democrats have vowed to retaliate with their own proposals inCalifornia, and possibly in New York.
The Texas Democrats amassed daily fines of $500 each during their absence and were slapped with lawsuits from GovernorGreg Abbottand Attorney General Ken Paxton, who tried to remove them from office.
Republican John Cornyn, who is fighting a challenge for his US Senate seat from Paxton, enlisted theFBIin locating the absent lawmakers while State House speaker Dustin Burrows issued civil arrest warrants.
But the group only agreed to return after denying a vote on the new map during a first special legislative session, and afterCalifornialawmakers agreed to redraw their own map to give Democrats five more seats.
Abbott called a second special session that began on Friday.
California state lawmakers were expected this week to consider a new map counteracting the Texas changes.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Originally published on France24
