The proposal may still change before lawmakers consider it further, and members of the committee may still refer new proposals for consideration throughout the entirety of the special session.
At the moment, members of that committee are scheduled to discuss the proposed map during a meeting on Friday. Legislative Democrats, however, have suggested they could interrupt the broader process by leaving the state and denying Republicans the quorum necessary to advance a bill.
The mid-decade redistricting effort, like many regularly scheduled map redraws, is steeped in partisan politics, with an eye toward helping Republicans hold on to their narrow U.S. House majority in next year’s midterm elections.
The New York Times reported last month that members of Trump’s political operation had privately urged Texas Republicans to redraw their maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. And Trump himself publicly praised the efforts, pressing Texas lawmakers earlier this month to take actions that would help the GOP gain five House seats.
The lines in the newly proposed maps cut into the South Texas congressional districts currently held by Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez; the Dallas-area district held by Rep. Julie Johnson; and Houston-area district held by Rep. Al Green. The newly proposed lines also effectively combine the Austin-area districts held by Democratic Reps. Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett.
According to a review of the maps and demographic and voting data by NBC News, the proposed boundaries appear to put more Latino voters into Cuellar’s new district — a move that bets that demographic shifts in the area are helpful for Republicans. Gonzalez’s proposed district includes substantially more white voters than the current version.
Green’s seat, meanwhile, is being redrawn to include substantially more white and Latino voters, and far fewer Black voters. Green, who has represented the district since 2005, introduced articles of impeachment against Trump just last month.
Johnson, whose current district is majority nonwhite, would now represent, under the proposed maps, one almost evenly split between white and non-white voters.
Then there’s Casar and Doggett. The new lines raise the possibility that the two Democrats would have to run in a primary against each other — a prospect that Casar vowed to fight, raising the prospect of legal action.
“Merging the 35th and the 37th districts is illegal voter suppression of Black and Latino Central Texans,” Casar wrote on X. “By merging our Central Texas districts, Trump wants to commit yet another crime — this time, against Texas voters and against The Voting Rights Act.”
“United, we will fight back with everything we’ve got,” Casar wrote. “If Trump is allowed to rip the Voting Rights Act to shreds here in Central Texas, his ploy will spread like wildfire across the country. Everyone who cares about our democracy must mobilize against this illegal map.”
In 2024, Trump carried two of the 13 Texas seats that Democrats currently hold, the South Texas districts of Cuellar and Gonzalez. Cuellar’s district went to Trump by 7 points, while Gonzalez’s went to Trump by 4 points, according to analysis by NBC News’ Decision Desk. Cuellar won his seat by less than 6 points, while Gonzalez was victorious by less than 3 points, illustrating the slim margins at play in the region.
The redistricting process typically occurs at the start of each new decade, when new census data is available. Texas’ maps, which were drawn in 2021, are still being fought over in court, with a lawsuit alleging they discriminate against Black and Latino voters.
Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder slammed the proposal in a statement, accusing state Republicans of kowtowing to Trump and vowing to fight its implementation.
“Texas Republicans have finally revealed their new redistricting map, and unsurprisingly, it is drawn to represent Donald Trump, not the voices of Texans. It is illegally drawn in a way that silences the voices of minority communities across Texas,” Scudder said.
“When Donald Trump knows he can’t win, he cheats, and Texas Republicans just proved they are unable to stand up to their wannabe dictator,” he added. “This is designed for Donald Trump, not for Texans. Texas Democrats will use every available method to oppose this racist, desperate power grab. Nothing is off the table.”
The maps are certain to face resistance from non-political actors as well. The question is whether any legal action would prevent a new map from taking effect for the 2026 election.
Dan Vicuna, the senior policy director for voting and fair representation at the government watchdog group Common Cause, said on a call with reporters before the proposed maps were filed that the group would legally challenge any maps filed in Texas it felt were “gerrymandered.”
“We will sue,” Vicuna said. “We’ve been there before, and we will absolutely be there again to challenge unfair maps, regardless of who draws them.”
