Texas GOP and the White House have begun to talk about redrawing House district lines in the state ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, as the party looks to keep its majority.
As Democrats seek to break up a GOP trifecta and Republicans face an uphill battle to maintain their thin margins, the Texas GOP has an idea of its own to help keep the majority.
Although this push is aimed at picking up red seats, this is a complex issue for Texas Republicans. House Republicans have remained quiet on the issue, with many refusing to comment, as they are not part of the redistricting process.
A Trump administration representative is planning to meet with Texas Republicans at their weekly lunch on Thursday to talk through the new plan, a source familiar confirmed to the Washington Examiner. The delegation also met on Monday on the issue.
“It’s certainly a head scratcher,” one GOP staffer from Texas told the Washington Examiner. “Republicans in Texas are overall happy with the way the lines are drawn. The calculus of meddling with them is puzzling.”
While this could help Republicans pick up seats in the midterm elections, as the state holds 38 of the 435 seats in the U.S. House, moving districts around to push out Democrats could also create less solid red districts by pulling Republican votes, putting many members in a complicated position.
Texas is not up for redistricting until 2030, after the current districts were finalized in 2021 following the 2020 census data being released in April 2021. To initiate the redistricting, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) would have to call a special session where the state legislature would draw a new map. Abbott’s office did not give a comment on the issue.
“From my understanding, this would be in July,” Texas Republican state Rep. Ron Reynolds told the New York Times. “This is something that they’re keeping very tight-lipped.”
Democrats are on defense in the House, with 39 seats rated competitive compared to the 29 marked competitive for the GOP. Democrats only need a net gain of three seats to flip the House. Historically, the House flips to the party opposite the White House in the midterm elections, as it has for the last five presidencies.
Democrats argue this push is in response to President Donald Trump’s “unpopular” policies and the possibility of losing their trifecta in Washington.
“Trump and Abbott want to redraw our district because they’re terrified of what is coming,” Texas Democratic influencer and House candidate Isaiah Martin told the Washington Examiner. “They see the momentum we’re building, and they know I will be a firm NO on their economy-destroying agenda. With another budget vote coming up and potentially a vote on more reckless tariffs, they’re scrambling for every vote they can steal.”
“Unfortunately for them, no matter the lines they put up, voters will reject whatever Republican candidate they put our way in this district,” Martin continued.
As Democrats search for messaging that sticks to flip the House and win back the majority, much of their focus has turned to protecting Medicaid as Republicans move forward with Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which includes major spending cuts that dip into the entitlement program.
“Republicans are in full-blown panic mode, trying every trick in the book to hold onto their razor-thin House majority,” House Majority PAC national press secretary Katarina Flicker told the Washington Examiner. “After voting to cut Medicaid and raise costs, they know the political winds are shifting — and they’re on the wrong side of them heading into 2026.”
CORNYN TO LEAN ON HIS ‘CHARACTER’ IN PRIMARY RACE AGAINST PAXTON
As the Texas House districts are up in the air, the Senate race shaping out between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will also be closely watched. The senior senator for the Lone Star State now faces a bloody primary challenge by Paxton, who had been hinting he would challenge Cornyn for some time.
Paxton and Cornyn have a rocky relationship following the senator’s lack of support for the attorney general during his impeachment trial. Paxton has been a harsh critic of Cornyn since. This leaves Texas as a major player in the 2026 midterm elections.
All of this comes as a lawsuit is being fought in Texas over the districts drawn in 2021. Black and Hispanic voter organizations argue the maps illegally disadvantage their communities. Trump’s Department of Justice dropped charges from the Biden administration earlier this year that challenged this map in Texas, claiming it discriminated against black and Latino voters.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for comment.