Texas Gov. Abbott signs new Republican-friendly US House map
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference at his office in the Capitol in Austin
By Arlette Saenz, CNN
(CNN) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday signed a Republican-friendly redistricting bill approved by the state legislature, finalizing a new congressional map pushed by President Donald Trump ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“Today, I signed the One Big Beautiful Map into law,” the governor wrote on X. “This map ensures fairer representation in Congress. Texas will be more RED in Congress.”
The social media post includes a video of Abbott signing the bill with a black Sharpie.
The bill signing caps off a weekslong push to enact the new congressional map, which Republicans hope could net them five additional seats in the US House.
Texas Democrats – who left the state to initially deny the state House a quorum – returned after appearing with leaders of Democratic-run states to push for redistricting efforts to counterbalance the Texas map.
The California legislature advanced a plan to set aside maps drawn by a nonpartisan commission to create five more Democratic-friendly seats. Voters in California will decide in a November referendum whether to approve that plan.
Meanwhile, Texas Democrats are trying to fight the map in the courts. Several lawsuits have already been filed, and a three-judge panel in a US District court in El Paso set a preliminary injunction hearing for October 1-10.
The-CNN-Wire
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