Texas House Democrats announced Monday that they had returned to Austin for the next stage in a broader redistricting battle playing out across the country, saying their conditions to return to the Lone Star State had been met.
“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,” Texas Democratic House Caucus Chair Gene Wu said in a statement.
“We’re returning to Texas more dangerous to Republicans’ plans than when we left. Our return allows us to build the legal record necessary to defeat this racist map in court, take our message to communities across the state and country, and inspire legislators across the country how to fight these undemocratic redistricting schemes in their own statehouses,” he added.
Texas House lawmakers are scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. EDT Monday during their second special session. The Texas Senate is expected to convene around 6 p.m.
Efforts to pass a GOP-proposed House map, which aims to give the party five pickup opportunities ahead of 2026, stalled in the first special session when House Democrats fled the state to block Republicans from advancing it.
A Texas Senate panel advanced a set of new congressional lines over the weekend during their second special session, similar to the ones they advanced during the first special session.
The new House map needs to pass in both chambers before it can be signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R). With Democrats now back in Texas, the House will now have a quorum — the minimum number of lawmakers needed in order to conduct business — and Republicans will be able to proceed on passing their maps.
Texas Democrats had signaled they would return to the state after Texas lawmakers adjourned from their first special session Friday and once California Democrats’ introduced their own set of congressional lines aimed at neutralizing expected gains Republicans will make with the new Texas map.
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