Texas is once again at the center of a political storm. Gov. Greg Abbott called a second special session at the Texas Legislature on Aug. 15 in another attempt to pass a mid-decade redistricting plan.
President Donald Trump urged Republican leaders in Texas to secure five GOP-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Abbott called the first special session in early July to discuss 18 agenda items, including the redistricting plan. On Aug. 15, both chambers voted to adjourn sine die, failing to pass the maps when House Democrats fled Texas to break the quorum.
“We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance and intimidation and rallied Democrats nationwide to join this existential fight for fair representation — reshaping the entire 2026 landscape,” said Rep. Gene Wu of Houston, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, in a statement.
With many lawmakers now back in Austin under the watchful eye of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), quorum has been restored, paving the way for Republicans to advance their maps.
The second Special Session will include bills on congressional redistricting plans, youth camp safety, warning systems in flood-prone areas, elimination of the STAAR test, THC regulation and abortion, among others.
Democratic walkout: Did it help?
In the second week of August, House Democrats began to return to Texas, ending their two-week hiatus and granting Republicans the required quorum.
LIVE: Texas House of Representatives Redistricting Hearing https://t.co/8gGGhcnD9v
— Texas House Democrats (@TexasHDC) August 18, 2025
On Aug. 18, the House officially reconvened and Republican lawmakers continued to work on the map. The redistricting committee once again advanced a proposal on new congressional maps with some changes from the originally proposed maps, which is expected to reach a full House vote soon.
Meanwhile, lawmakers now face tighter procedural rules. The roughly 25 lawmakers who returned had to accept escorts from the DPS. Rep. Nicole Collier refused to sign the permission slip, spending the night in the House chamber.
This was my night, bonnet and all, in the #txlege. #thisisme pic.twitter.com/46YgqbMUk8
— Nicole Collier (@NicoleCollier95) August 19, 2025
For Rep. Jolanda Jones (D-Houston), the fight is deeply personal. She has refused to return to Austin, arguing that being under round-the-clock DPS surveillance is akin to “modern-day slave patrols.”
“I’m not gonna submit myself, give permission to be taken back to a plantation, to be forced to vote on maps that are gonna disenfranchise congressional districts. It is 2025, not 1825. I am free. I was not born on a plantation…I’m standing on my freedom.”
State Rep. Jolanda Jones
“I’m not gonna submit myself, give permission to be taken back to a plantation, to be forced to vote on maps that are gonna disenfranchise congressional districts,” Jones told the Defender. “It is 2025, not 1825. I am free. I was not born on a plantation…I’m standing on my freedom.”
Jones warned that under the proposed lines, Black voters in Houston would lose two congressional seats and Latino voters one. Her fears are also echoed in Dallas.
“I think about history,” Jones added. “If I were alive during the Montgomery Bus Boycott or when they marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, I would’ve tried to get there any way I could. I do believe that this is a civil rights moment and I am proud that I’m on the right side of history.”
National implications and responses
Texas’s redistricting saga catalyzed a national push: California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a proposal to redraw congressional maps, potentially giving Democrats five new seats. This move reflects a broader fight for the U.S. House.
Freshman lawmaker State Rep. Lauren Simmons (D-Houston) also broke quorum and called Abbott’s decision to prioritize redistricting over flood recovery and disaster relief a case of “party over people.”
“He [Abbott] could release flood relief and resources to the people of Texas if he so chooses to,” Simmons said. “But he’s not; he wants to give Trump five congressional seats. We did what we could as far as ensuring that this was lifted to a national conversation and now it has to play out on the House floor.”
Still, the arithmetic in Austin is clear. Republicans hold 88 seats to Democrats’ 62 in the House, giving them the votes to pass the maps once they reach the floor.
“They’re zeroing in on Sylvester Turner’s district (18th Congressional District) because he passed away and there’s no incumbent in there,” said Paul Brace, Emeritus Clarence Carter Chair in Legal Studies at Rice University. “The best time to flip a district is when there’s no incumbent.”
Brace noted that lawsuits are almost inevitable, although he is skeptical they will succeed.
For the Democrats holding out, the costs are mounting. Along with daily $500 fines, legislators face reduced operating budgets.
Jones acknowledged that her absence has hampered her congressional campaign (18th) and law practice, but said she has no choice.
“Now with these slave patrols [referring to DPS], I’m concerned about my personal health,” Jones said. “The history of Black people and the police is not one of protection and serving. It’s one of oppression. I take my oath to defend my constituents of House District 147 seriously. I cannot pick myself over my constituents.”
Simmons described the personal toll of leaving Texas, from bomb threats to doxxing on social media.
“We are full-time representatives paid on a part-time salary,” Simmons said. “This is not something that we took lightly. Some of us may lose jobs.”
What comes next?
The Senate has already passed the new lines, and the House is expected to approve them within days. The special session could conclude as early as this week, delivering Republicans the mid-decade redistricting they sought.
Democrats are preparing to take the fight to the courts and the ballot box.“We have high confidence that the courts will actually find these maps to be illegal,” Wu said. “The question is more about the timing of it and whether or not there’s enough time left.”
