Donald Trump pushes aggressive Texas redistricting to deliver more GOP congressional seats

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Tuesday described Texas as the centerpiece in a plan to add Republican U.S. House seats by redrawing congressional boundaries in multiple states.

“Texas would be the biggest one — and that’ll be five,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Wringing five more Republican congressional seats from Texas would be a significant help to the party as it tries to preserve its razor-thin House majority. The aggressive play also runs a risk of backfiring by putting Lone Star Republican incumbents in a vulnerable position.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott placed redistricting on a lengthy agenda for a special legislative session that begins Monday. Rumors about potential boundary lines have been swirling but no official map proposals have been released.

Outside of a few swing seats in South Texas, the state’s congressional districts are largely drawn in a way that protects incumbents, with most districts deep red or blue.

Republicans have a 25-12 edge in the delegation. One Houston-area seat that leans toward the Democrats has been open since U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner died earlier this year.

U.S. House Democratic leaders gathered Tuesday at their party headquarters in Washington with members of the Texas congressional delegation to talk strategy. Speaking to reporters, they vowed to fight hard against the redistricting effort.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., highlighted the tragic Hill Country flooding that has left grieving parents burying their children. He said officials should be focused on questions about how state and federal authorities handled the disaster.

“All of us should be focused on rescue, relief and rebuilding, not egregious redistricting of the Texas congressional map as part of an effort to undermine free and fair elections in Texas and in the United States of America,” Jeffries said.

Democrats accused Republicans of attempting to rig the 2026 midterm elections because the recent package of tax cuts, partially offset by changes to Medicaid and nutrition assistance programs, is unpopular.

If the maps are redrawn, Democrats said they will “aggressively” recruit challengers for any Texas Republicans made vulnerable by the new boundaries. Jeffries also said all legal options will remain on the table to counter the redistricting effort, which could well end up in court.

Texas Democrats accused their Republican counterparts of caving to Trump and Washington political operatives who they said have demanded the state distort the political will of Texas voters.

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, said the move is in line with what she described as a history of Texas Republicans drawing district lines aimed at diluting the power of minority voters.

As a state representative, Crockett was one of several Democrats who advocated breaking quorum to defeat a GOP-driven elections bill.

She participated in House Democratic quorum breaks to stall the bill and became a prominent voice on the issue as they camped in Washington, D.C.

Crockett recalled Tuesday how she pushed her colleagues hard to break quorum. She added the redistricting proposal could be even more significant than the legislation that prompted that action.

“Maybe there is a bigger reason for the Texas Democrats to break quorum now than there was before,” Crockett said.

Asked for response to Democrats’ criticism, Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris provided a written statement that did not explicitly reference redistricting.

“While partisan activists focus solely on political issues, Governor Abbott is dedicated to delivering results on issues important to Texans, such as flood relief, property tax cuts, and the elimination of the STAAR test,” Mahaleris said. “The Governor looks forward to the legislature addressing these topics, along with other critical issues, during this special session.”

U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, introduced legislation last week aimed at blocking mid-decade redistricting unless mandated by a court order. Most of his fellow Texas Democrats in Congress have co-sponsored the measure.

U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, said some of his fellow Democrats see opportunity because there will be more competitive seats in the state. He alluded to the battles he’s won over the years in his swing district in South Texas.

“I’m at war every other year,” Gonzalez said. “I’m in the ring all the time.”

Texas Republicans in the U.S. House have largely kept quiet about the redistricting effort.

While the new lines could put some of them at risk in next year’s general election, publicly criticizing the plan would risk drawing Trump’s anger.

Among the Texas Republicans who had little to say about the effort Tuesday were U.S. Reps. Brian Babin of Woodville, Keith Self of McKinney, Brandon Gill of Flower Mound and Craig Goldman of Fort Worth.

“I never have and never will talk about the ‘r-word,’” Goldman said.

A couple Republicans expressed confidence in the redistricting plan generally, as well as their own prospects under redrawn boundaries.

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales of San Antonio described the redistricting as a “brilliant political move” given the shift toward the GOP by the state’s growing Hispanic community.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, up for reelection in 2026, expressed similar thoughts on social media.

“Hispanic voters in Texas have rapidly shifted in favor of the GOP, in large part thanks [to Trump], so a mid decade redistricting will mean significant gains for Texas Republicans,” Cornyn posted on X.

U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Willow Park, was upbeat about the plan.

“The idea of getting five seats, I think, is very reasonable,” Williams told reporters Tuesday.

He rejected suggestions Texas Republicans could be overreaching, saying he’s confident the GOP message will resonate with voters.

“If the president wants redistricting and the governor calls redistricting, you’ve got to redistrict,” Williams said. “Whatever your district looks like, you’ve got to be prepared to run and get after it and win.”