President Donald Trump affirmed on Tuesday that Republicans have “right to five more seats” in Texas, where a battle of redistribution of districts is developing among state legislators.
But the political confrontation of the state of the lonely star has national implications, with the control of the United States house potentially at stake.
The Republicans began the 119th Congress with the majority of the smallest camera in almost 100 years. Currently, the party has a majority 219-212 with four vacancies. When those vacancies are filled, the Democrats would only need to score three seats next November to recover the camera.
Desglosse of the Chamber of Representatives of the United States Party as of August 2025
ABC News
The president of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, can only afford to lose three Republicans in any vote where all members are present. The thin margin created some headaches for Johnson in the delivery of Trump’s expense and expense spending, rewriting the cryptocurrency rules and more.
In an attempt to defend the fragile majority, or even expand it, Trump’s political operation approached the Texas Republicans in June about the remake of the State Congress map before the medium -term elections of 2026.
A map of the districts of the United States Congress is seen at a public hearing of Texas legislators on the redistribution of Congress districts in Austin, Texas, on August 1, 2025.
Eric Gay/AP
Historically, the mid -period elections have been cruel to the president’s party, although Johnson said last week when Texas Republicans presented the new maps that the Republican Party “would challenge the story” and “would grow most of the house” in the races of next year.
The new map could generate the Republicans between three and five seats if promulgated, analysts previously said to ABC News. The proposed changes would affect the districts in Austin, Dallas and Houston, areas that have generally voted blue.
The redistribution efforts of Texas districts, which are rarely carried out in the middle of the decade between the census, have caused a great rejection of the Democrats.
Democratic legislators fled the State in protest, denying Republicans the quorum necessary to vote to promulgate the new map. In response, Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, ordered the Texas Public Security Department to arrest the Democrats and bring them back to Austin.
President Trump defended the move in a telephone interview with CNBC on Tuesday.
“We have the opportunity in Texas to collect five seats. We have a very good governor, and we have good people in Texas. And I won Texas, I got the highest vote in the history of Texas as you probably know. And we have the right to five more seats,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump points out while adding Air Force One at Lehight Valley International Airport, on Sunday, August 3, 2025, in Allentown, Pa.
Julia DeMaree Nikhinson/AP
Democratic leaders have pledged to counteract Texas’ republican effort with new maps.
The Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, on Monday, at a press conference along with several Democrats from the Texas House of Representatives in Albany, said that Gerrymander will try the map of her state, although she pointed out that it was unlikely to be made before the intermediate people of 2026.
“We are already working on a legislative process, reviewing our legal strategies, and we will do everything in our power to stop this shameless assault,” said Hochul. “The gloves are turned off, and I say ‘trawel’.”
The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, also said that if Texas advanced with the new map, then they would respond by putting their own redistribution plan for districts before the voters this November.
Both states currently use independent commissions to draw their maps after constitutional amendments.
“Whatever they are doing will be castrated here in the state of California, and they will pay that price,” said Newsom on Monday.
