AUSTIN, Texas — Texas House Democrats are camping out in other states to block a new U.S. House map that would give the GOP more winnable seats in the 2026 elections.
Any votes in the Texas House require at least 100 of its 150 members to be present. Although Republicans hold a commanding majority, they need some Democrats to meet that threshold, which the party has taken advantage of by leaving town.
The standoff began Aug. 3 and has escalated quickly, including Republican Gov. Greg Abbott suing to remove the House Democratic leader from office in an attempt to end the holdout. GOP leaders have also threatened to arrest Democratic House members on civil warrants and have launched investigations into who’s paying for their travel.
Here’s a breakdown by the numbers.
5 more seats sought by Republicans
Texas has 38 congressional seats and Republicans are trying to squeeze out control of five more congressional seats in Texas, a bump up from the 25 seats they currently hold in the U.S. House.
If the Texas redraw moves forward, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he wants his state to carve out five more Democratic seats in retaliation. His party currently controls 43 of California’s 52 House seats.
10 years between typical map redrawings
Redistricting usually happens after the once-a-decade population count by the U.S. Census Bureau, or in response to a court ruling. President Donald Trump has pushed for Texas to break from that tradition with a rare mid-cycle redrawing.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
38 days before Texas Democrats relented last time
Many of the Texas Democrats who left the state this week also walked out in 2021 in protest against new voting restrictions. Once they returned, Republicans passed them into law.
51 Democrats to keep the holdout going
At least 51 of the 62 Democratic members must be absent to prevent a vote on the new congressional maps. A majority of Democrats — 54 — were not on the House floor Tuesday.
Many have gone to Illinois and New York, where Democratic governors have offered support.
432 seats in the U.S. House
At stake in the redrawing of congressional maps is control of the U.S. House after the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans currently hold 219 seats, and Democrats have 212. There are four vacancies.
$500 daily fines imposed on Texas Democrats
Under Texas House rules, Democrats would pay the fine as punishment for each day they are absent. The Republican-controlled House put that penalty in place after the last walkout by Democrats in 2021.
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