Their return will enable the Republican-controlled Legislature to move forward while California Democrats push a response.

Austin, Texas –

Texas Democrats announced on Monday that they are ending a two-week walkout that halted Republican efforts to redraw Congressional districts amid a contentious battle surrounding President Trump’s push to reshape U.S. electoral maps.

This decision allows the Republican-led Congress to proceed with California Democrats’ countermeasures to reconfigure Congressional boundaries in response.

A significant number of Texas House Democrats left the state over two weeks ago, effectively denying their Republican counterparts the necessary attendance for voting on a proposed map designed to send five additional Texan Republicans to Washington. They celebrated their temporary victory after Republicans postponed the initial special session, banding together to oppose Trump’s gerrymandering initiatives.

They particularly highlighted the proposed map that sought to enhance the Democratic advantage in California by five seats, significantly undermining Republican interests in Texas.

“We effectively put a stop to a corrupt special session, faced unprecedented surveillance and threats, and united Democrats from across the nation in this crucial struggle to reshape the electoral landscape ahead of 2026,” they stated.

Trump is urging other Republican-led states to consider redistricting, while Democratic governors in various states are following California’s example. California Governor Gavin Newsom has indicated that a special referendum on the redrawn districts will be held on November 4th.

The president aims to back a majority of the slender Republican factions and avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms during his first term. On a national scale, the current district lines provide Democrats a slight edge with a majority of three seats. Out of 435 House seats, only a handful are competitive, meaning that even slight adjustments in certain states can influence control between the parties.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has come to the president’s aid, adding redistricting to the agenda of the first special session, which addresses multiple issues, with the most pressing being a package of bills responding to devastating floods that claimed over 130 lives last month.

Abbott criticized the Democrats’ absence as a delay in addressing these urgent measures, while Democrats retorted that Abbott’s capitulation to Trump was the real cause of the holdup.

Redistricting typically occurs at the start of each decade, coinciding with the U.S. Census. Many states, Texas included, grant legislators the authority to create district maps, while California strengthens the process through independent commissions.