Texas Gov. Greg Abbott orders lawmakers to consider redistricting as GOP seeks midterm advantage

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNN Politics

Published 7:25 PM EDT, Wed July 9, 2025


CNN — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday directed lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map as part of a special session that kicks off later this month, as the GOP seeks to retain its narrow US House majority after next year’s midterm elections. Abbott added redistricting to a packed agenda for the session, which includes measures to improve early warning systems for flooding and provide relief money to people affected by the devastating flooding over the July 4th weekend in central Texas. The special session is slated to open July 21. Abbott has the sole authority to set its agenda.

Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to win the House in the midterms, raising the stakes for Republicans and President Donald Trump, who could see a Democratic-controlled House block his legislative agenda and open new investigations of him in the second half of his final term.

It is rare for states to undertake a mid-decade redistricting without a court order to do so. But Texas is one of two states where Republicans are pushing to change congressional districts this year in the hopes of ousting several longtime Democratic lawmakers. Some Republicans are hoping new maps in Texas could result in the GOP picking up as many as five additional seats to shore up their chances of retaining the House majority.

The top Democrat in the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, on Wednesday criticized Abbott’s action. “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.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/politics/texas-abbott-redistricting-gop-midterms

---

Link to tweet

Hakeem Jeffries
@hakeemjeffries
·
Follow
While Texans battle tragic and deadly flooding, Governor Abbott and House Republicans are plotting a mid-decade gerrymander.

They should be modernizing emergency response — not rigging maps.

Pass it on.
Any attempt at a mid-decade redistricting would require the Texas Legislature to approve new maps.
nytimes.com
White House Pushes Texas to Redistrict, Hoping to Blunt Democratic Gains
A rare mid-decade redistricting push has unnerved some Texas Republicans, who worry a drive to harm Democrats could end up endangering G.O.P. incumbents in 2026.
2:50 PM · Jul 9, 2025

[sindri]

1. wait for the headlines to read

"Democrat party politicizing redistricting."

[ProudMNDemocrat]

2. Or does Gregg Abbott want to shut up Jasmine Crockett???

She can go on a legitimate rant meant to shut her up!!

Go Jasmine!

[wolfie001]

3. Racist bastard thug on 2 wheels

More shit-i-fication for texASS no doubt.

[Marthe48]

4. rwnj fear losing so they move the lines of the playing field

check in with traitor felon and skum, see if they'll tell you why traitor felon told his cult they'd never have to vote again and then very ably pretended to blow the mike.

[Paladin]

5. Fuck you where you breathe, Governor Hot Wheels. (nt)

[cstanleytech]

6. Cheating by Republicans?? Nothing new there.

[Figarosmom]

7. Yeah, this figures.

Wi is trying too.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. Republicans are trying to further gerrymander a state that already has districts that look like this:

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

9. Texas Redistricting-As a voting rights volunteer, I was amused to learn a new term "dummymander"

I have been volunteering on voting rights/voter protection since 2004 when I went to Florida as part of the Kerry Edwards voter protection team. I have testified before committees of both the Texas House and Senate on gerrymandered districts. Part of my testimony was used in a prior lawsuit that unfortunately failed. Texas is heavily gerrymandered. My congressional district went from a R+1 to a R+21 as part of the last gerrymander. trump wants Ohio and Texas to re-gerrymander their districts to help in the midterms. I was amused to see that these efforts run a risk of failing

Republicans run a risky strategy for holding the House that rests on redrawn maps
www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

— David Darmofal (@daviddarmofal.bsky.social) 2025-07-11T18:40:41.292Z

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/11/texas-redistricting-00448145

But in Texas, Republicans are in danger of creating a so-called dummymander, whereby an attempt to draw more seats for one party accidentally benefits the other. Texas’ congressional map already heavily favors the GOP, so any changes to further benefit the party would have to walk a careful line. Adding Republican voters to blue districts to reduce Democrats’ margins means taking those same voters out of the red districts where they reside. The result is more competitive districts across the board — ones Democrats hope to take advantage of as they harness anti-Trump energy in the midterms.

“They are playing a little bit of roulette with these maps,” said Rep. Julie Johnson (D-Texas). “In a wave election like what we have a potential opportunity for in ‘26 I think it makes these Republicans very vulnerable.”

Texas has 38 House seats, with 25 held by Republicans. Members of the state’s Democratic delegation huddled with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as the redistricting talk ramped up, with follow-up meetings planned.

Jeffries warned in a statement Wednesday that an aggressive map could “result in making several incumbent House Republicans vulnerable to fierce general election challenges.”

“Republicans are cutting off their nose to spite their face,” he added.....

Democrats are almost certain to sue over whatever new maps are created in both Ohio and Texas, said John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

“I imagine we will have a lot to say about the map they create and the legalities of it,” he said Thursday.

On top of everything else, there is a trial going on with respect to the Texas maps that these efforts may affect.

This will be fun to watch