4 days ago
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CBS News Live
Texas Republicans connected Monday aimed to resume pushing done redrawn U.S. House territory maps that would carve retired a bigger GOP vantage successful the 2026 midterm elections aft authorities Democrats indicated they were acceptable to extremity a two-week walkout.
The redrawing began successful Texas but has been stalled since dozens of Democrats, who are the number successful each chamber, near the authorities connected Aug. 3, with astir of them going to Illinois. The absent lawmakers had signaled they were acceptable to instrumentality to Austin aft Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ended a archetypal special session and Democrats successful California moved guardant with a program to respond.
The House Democratic Caucus released a connection Thursday greeting that its members are backmost successful Austin.
"Our instrumentality allows america to physique the ineligible grounds indispensable to decision this racist representation successful court, instrumentality our connection to communities crossed the authorities and country, and animate legislators crossed the state however to combat these undemocratic redistricting schemes successful their ain statehouses," authorities Rep. Gene Wu, the Democratic leader, said successful the statement.
The Texas House is scheduled to effort convening a quorum again Monday.
On Sunday evening, the Texas Senate committee connected redistricting voted on enactment lines to walk the redrawn legislature maps.
Redistricting combat spreads
Abbott enactment redistricting connected the docket astatine the urging of President Donald Trump, who wants to enactment up Republicans' constrictive U.S. House bulk to debar losing power of the chamber, and with it, prospects for Trump's blimpish docket successful the aboriginal portion of his term.
It is antithetic for redistricting to instrumentality spot successful the mediate of the decennary and typically occurs erstwhile astatine the opening of each decennary to coincide with the census.
In effect to the efforts successful Texas, California Democrats are besides moving up with their ain reshaping of legislature districts to counteract Texas, putting successful question a perchance widening and unusually timed redistricting conflict nationwide.
Many states, including Texas, springiness legislators the powerfulness to gully maps. California is among those that empower autarkic commissions with the task.
The nation's 2 astir populous states person been astatine the forefront of the resulting battle, which has reached into aggregate courtrooms and statehouses controlled by some parties.
Impact connected midterm elections
On a nationalist level, the partisan constitution of existing territory lines puts Democrats wrong 3 seats of a majority. Of the 435 full House seats, lone respective twelve districts are competitive. So adjacent flimsy changes successful a fewer states could impact which enactment wins control.
Texas' maps would purpose to springiness the GOP 5 much winnable seats.
California Democrats, who clasp supermajorities successful some chambers — capable to enactment without immoderate Republican votes — connected Friday unveiled a connection that could springiness Democrats determination an further 5 U.S. House seats. But immoderate changes would archetypal request the support of authorities lawmakers and voters. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said that his authorities volition clasp a Nov. 4 peculiar referendum connected the redrawn districts.
Steven Rosenbaum is simply a integer shaper for CBS Texas. A versatile journalist, Steven writes, edits and produces contented for the CBS Texas integer platforms.
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