The Texas Senate passed a GOP-friendly House map on Tuesday, putting it a step closer to final passage in the state Legislature.
The upper chamber voted 19-2 to pass a new set of congressional lines that would give Republicans five pickup opportunities in the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, identical to the map the state House is trying to pass.
A group of Senate Democrats left the session, saying in a statement, “We walked out because this session should be about flood relief, not politics. Texans deserve leaders who put people first.”
Texas state Sens. Juan Hinojosa (D) and Judith Zaffirini (D) remained in the chamber, according to The Dallas Morning News.
A Texas state House committee advanced its map earlier this month, but efforts to vote on it on the House floor have stalled as Texas Democrats remain out of the state to deny Republicans a quorum, or the minimum number of lawmakers needed present to conduct business.
The Texas House needs to pass the new congressional map before Gov. Greg Abbott (R) can sign it into law.
Opponents have already signaled they’re ready to sue over the maps once they pass.
“Under this new, even worse gerrymander, millions of Texans—targeting Texans of color—will have their voices silenced,” John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said in a statement.
“Make no mistake, if Texas Republicans enact this discriminatory map, they will face swift, significant resistance from the people and in the courts.”
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