AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Democrats showed up Monday for a special session but left open the possibility of walking out as a means to derail an unusual summer redrawing of U.S. House maps that would help protect Republicans’ slim majority in the 2026 elections.
President Donald Trump wants Republicans in the coming weeks to engineer as many as five more winnable congressional districts in Texas – a high-risk, high-reward redraw that would put them on better footing before the midterm elections, when the party of the incumbent president often loses House seats.
At the Texas Capitol, Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows gaveled in a 30-day session and appointed a committee to oversee what is already escalating into a contentious battle over the state’s voting maps. Democrats promised to fight the redraw but they are heavily outnumbered in the Texas Legislature, leaving them with few paths of resistance.
“Democrats are going