The impasse centers on #Trump’s effort to get 5 more #GOP-leaning congressional seats in #Texas, at #Democrats’ expense, before the #midterms. That would bolster his party’s chances of preserving its fragile US #House majority, something #Republicans were unable to do in the 2018 midterms during Trump’s 1st term.

“We’re not going to tolerate our #democracy being stolen in a modern-day stagecoach heist by bunch of law breaking cowboys,” New York Gov. #KathyHochul said Monday, flanked by several of the [#Texas] lawmakers who fled. “If #Republicans are willing to rewrite rules to give themselves an advantage, then they’re leaving us with no choice: We must do the same. You have to fight fire with fire.”

#law #ElectionLaw #gerrymandering #redistricting #midterms #elections #Trump
https://apnews.com/article/us-election-2026-texas-redistricting-136cfeddc717f9fc69337bd3d39b1819

#HakeemJeffries on how #Democrats will respond to the #Texas #redistricting scheme: "We are going to respond & respond forcefully, however we also will operate within the constraints of the #VotingRightsAct which is not what the Texas Democrats (sic; he meant #Republicans) are doing. We need fair maps & one national standard.”

#HakeemJeffries on the #Texas #redistricting scheme: "These extremists want to be able to choose their voters as opposed to allowing the Texas voters to choose the people who should be privileged to represent them in Washington. It's #theft. That's what #gerrymandering in its extreme form is."

The #Texas #House can conduct business only when two-thirds of its 150 members are present. At least 51 of the chamber’s 62 #Democrats will need to boycott the session to prevent #Republicans from acting on the new map. The lawmakers could return a couple of days before the special session ends Aug. 19 & use other stall tactics, but any success could be short-lived as #GregAbbott can immediately call another 30-day session.

#Texas #Democrats have twice deployed the same tactic to combat #legislation in the 22 years since #Republicans have controlled all of state government, but their efforts ultimately failed. This time, Democrats plan to stay away for 2 weeks to run out the clock on a special legislative session called by Gov. #GregAbbott (R) to draw a map that would give Republicans 5 more #House seats.

#Democrats in the #Texas legislature said they were fleeing the state Sunday to block a #redistricting plan backed by #Trump aimed at preserving the #GOP’s slim #House majority, escalating tensions as a broader fight over congressional district lines unfolds throughout the country ahead of the 2026 #midterms.

#Update

#Texas #Democrats to flee state, blocking plan to pad GOP’s control of #Congress

By leaving, Democratic state legislators can stall a #Republican plan that would give the #GOP 5 more seats to protect their narrow #House majority.

#law #gerrymandering #Trump #rigged #midterms #elections
https://apnews.com/article/texas-democrats-leave-state-congressional-map-vote-b8b96080dfae00111664bbfb72fc304b?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=2025-08-03-Breaking+News

…With a $200 million war chest, #MAGA Inc. figures to be a big part of #Republican primaries, making #Trump’s endorsements in those races all the more important. The #money is sure to be spent on advertising to back Trump’s endorsed candidates.

The sum raised by Trump’s group has scrambled the Republican #fundraising landscape & worried some #conservatives. Trump’s group, not those of the Republican leadership in #House & #Senate, will most likely be the biggest spender in the 2026 #midterms.