Republican prospects for keeping the House of Representatives in 2026 have been hanging on by a thread, but President Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott are getting ready to execute an end run around that. 

In a move that left Democrats stunned and fuming, Abbott has called a special session so that the GOP-controlled legislature can redraw the Texas congressional lines. That came after the Trump-led DOJ found that several districts in the state were likely illegal gerrymanders. The projection is that Republicans could pick up as many as five seats, most of which would be in the Rio Grande area. 

TEXAS redistricting news in Midday: TRUMP said Rs will try to squeeze out 5 more red seats

We hear tentative plan is to draw them in:
1. Cuellar’s #TX28
2. Gonzalez’s #TX34
3. Julie Johnson’s #TX32
4. Houston area
5. TBD – possibly Austin area

w @JakeSherman + @MicaSoellnerDC

— Ally Mutnick (@allymutnick) July 15, 2025

Reporter: Are you calling for a complete redraw of the Texas congressional map?

Trump: No, just a very simple redraw—we pick up five seats. A couple of other states where we will pick up seats also. pic.twitter.com/H2vDiB0ndE

— Acyn (@Acyn) July 15, 2025

The margins in the House are razor-thin, and with the GOP recently losing the Wisconsin Supreme Court, it remains likely that Democrats will find a way to nuke the state’s currently Republican-leaning map. So what do you do when the left fights with fire? You fight fire with fire, and Texas currently has 38 total congressional seats with only 25 being held by the GOP despite the Republican legislative super majority in the state. In other words, there’s room to maneuver, and the only way to beat Democrats at their own game is to play it the way they play it.