Gov. Abbott Signs Texas Redistricting Law

Governor Greg Abbott has signed House Bill 4, which redraws congressional maps in the state of Texas, giving Republicans more seats in Congress.

Abbott posted a video on his X account of him actively signing the bill. "I'm about to sign the law that creates the One Big Beautiful Map that ensures fair representation in the United States Congress for Texans."

New Congressional map

The new map increases the number of congressional districts that would have voted for Trump by at least 10 percentage points by five.

Republicans currently control 25 of the state's 38 Congressional districts.

The new map makes some big changes in North Texas. It moves Democrat Rep. Marc Veasey’s district from Tarrant to Dallas County, Democrat Rep. Julie Johnson’s district moves from Dallas and Collin County to more conservative sections of East Texas, and Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s Dallas seat becomes one of just two majority Black districts in the entire state.

The Democrats claim the redrawn maps will violate the federal Voting Rights Act, but that may be difficult for them to prove.

In Central Texas, Democrats Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett find their districts vastly different from the most recent map.

The district currently held by Casar would no longer include Travis County, while the district held by Doggett would no longer include a portion of Williamson County.

In Houston, the new map reshapes four currently Democrat-held districts. The biggest change to the districts would be in the seat currently held by Rep. Al Green. The new map would shift the district from covering southern Harris County and instead move it to the eastern part of the county.

Response to bill signing

Harris County Attorney and candidate for Texas’s 18th Congressional District Christian D. Menefee said:

"Governor Abbott just signed into law one of the most racist maps Texas has ever seen. These maps were designed with one purpose: to dilute the voices of Black and Latino communities. It’s not about fairness. It’s not about democracy. It’s about Donald Trump trying to cling to power and Greg Abbott doing his bidding.

But the fight is not over. Community leaders and organizations have already sued the state over these maps. A panel of federal judges will hear arguments in early October on whether to block them, and I hope the court sees these maps for what they are: illegal, racist gerrymandering. We have fantastic lawyers on the case, and our communities are ready to keep pushing.

I’ve testified at the Legislature, I’ve hosted town halls, and I’ve stood with residents in this fight. And I’m committed to seeing it through.

I’m going to keep fighting against these maps. And continue running strong in this race because TX-18 deserves a fighter who wins. My focus is on making sure TX-18 has strong representation as soon as possible and that we continue the legacy of sending to Congress a fighter who stands up to bullies, wins, and delivers results for our communities.

Abbott and Trump may think they can draw us out of power, but they’re wrong. We are stronger than their games. They can redraw maps, suppress votes, and play politics with our lives, but they cannot divide us. We will not be silenced. We will not stop fighting. And we will not let them tear this district apart."