Texas Republicans cleared the final legislative hurdle for their extreme mid-decade gerrymander Saturday, as the Senate voted to approve House Bill 4 (HB 4). The bill now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is expected to sign it into law.
Within hours of the bill’s passage, advocates filed a legal challenge aiming to block it.
The gerrymandering plan, endorsed by President Donald Trump, could add as many as five new GOP congressional seats, boosting Republicans’ chances of maintaining control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterm elections.
“The One Big Beautiful Map has passed the Senate and is on its way to my desk, where it will be swiftly signed into law,” Abbott said in a statement Saturday. “I promised we would get this done, and delivered on that promise. I thank Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick for leading the passage in the Senate of a bill that ensures our maps reflect Texans’ voting preferences.”
The 18-11 Senate vote came after weeks of Democratic resistance. House Democrats fled the state earlier this month in a quorum-breaking protest that delayed the GOP bill’s passage but ultimately returned, allowing House Republicans to proceed with their gerrymander.
“The incredible people of Texas will have the opportunity to elect five more Republicans to Congress, thanks to the passage of their much more fair new Map,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform after the House vote. “A BIG WIN for Republicans in Texas, and across the Country!”
Senate Democrats attempted a final act of resistance Friday night, with Sen. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) preparing for a filibuster, warning that the maps would deny Black and Latino voters fair representation.
But Republican leaders acted before she could do that, using a procedural move to cut her off, force an immediate vote and push the bill to the Governor’s desk.
“What we’ve seen in this redistricting process has been maneuvers and mechanisms to shut down people’s voices,” Alvarado said as her filibuster attempt was shut down. “There were a few other senators ready and willing to step in and filibuster, but that was shut down as well.”
Alvarado performed a 15-hour filibuster in 2021 to prevent the GOP-controlled Texas Senate from passing the extreme anti-voting Senate Bill 1 (SB 1). Her effort then, though drawing national attention, could not stop the Republican majority from advancing the bill.
With Abbott expected to sign the bill promptly, the battleground now moves to the courts. Voting rights groups are filed a legal challenge to the map Saturday morning.
Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) have led an aggressive campaign to punish Democrats for leaving the state, filing lawsuits and pushing for legislation that would strip the lawmakers of their seats. While the GOP passed their gerrymander, those efforts remain alive in court and in the legislature, with Republicans pursuing new bills that would ban walkouts outright and make it easier to punish lawmakers who try them again.
At the same time, other states are already taking up arms in what’s becoming a national redistricting war. In California, Democratic lawmakers approved a series of bills to set up a November special election where voters will decide on a new congressional map that could give Democrats five additional seats — neutralizing the Texas GOP’s efforts.
Democratic leaders in other blue states have signaled they are prepared to follow suit, ensuring the Texas GOP’s mid-decade maneuver will not go unanswered.
This post has been updated.