Trump is trying to rig the 2026 midterms—and Texas is the test run.
In the middle of devastating floods, while families are grieving and communities are underwater, Governor Greg Abbott didn’t call a clean special session focused on relief. He buried flood aid inside a redistricting push. A power grab.
Because Trump told him to.
Instead of helping Texans recover, Abbott and Republican lawmakers are fast-tracking a brand-new congressional map designed to give the GOP five additional House seats. Five seats they didn’t win through voters. Five seats they’re trying to manufacture by redrawing lines.
If this new map had been in place in 2024, Republicans would’ve expanded their House majority. And they know that. That’s why they’re rushing it through now.
Here’s what the new Texas map actually does:
1. Austin – Two solidly blue districts, represented by Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett, are being merged into one. That means one Democratic seat just disappears.
2. Dallas–Fort Worth – Congressman Marc Veasey’s district is being carved up. His base of Black voters is being split to dilute their power. The district flips from blue to red.
3. Houston – Al Green’s district gets redrawn so dramatically it becomes a Trump +15 seat. That’s not a fair fight. That’s map manipulation.
4 & 5. South Texas – Two Latino-majority districts are being reshaped to favor Republicans. This is a strategic bet: that demographic trends will help them win, and new lines will lock it in.
It’s not subtle. It’s not about fairness. It’s not about representation.
It’s about raw political control.
Republicans are doing this mid-decade. That’s rare. It’s almost always illegal. But Texas has done it before—back in 2003—and now they’re doing it again, with Trump openly directing the playbook.
Protesters are packing public hearings. One Democratic candidate was arrested just for calling the maps unconstitutional. And Texas Democrats are considering walking out to break quorum. Again.
Abbott is threatening arrests and fines to stop them.
And it’s not just Texas watching.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has already said that if Republicans go through with this plan, California might redraw its own maps—this time to favor Democrats. That means ignoring their independent redistricting commission and launching a partisan redraw in response.
Other Democratic governors in New York, Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey are considering doing the same.
This is what a gerrymandering arms race looks like.
And in the middle of that? Voters. Communities. People whose voices are being carved up, cracked, packed, and silenced.
Let me be absolutely clear:
This is not democracy.
It’s theft. It’s sabotage. And it’s happening in plain sight.
They know they can’t win fair elections. So they’re trying to redraw the rules before you ever cast a vote.
The deadline for candidates to file to run in 2026 is looming. If this map passes quickly, it locks in those lines before courts can step in. That’s the plan.
So what do we do?
If you’re in Texas, call your lawmakers. Demand fair maps. Demand a real special session for flood victims.
Everywhere else: stay loud. Support the lawsuits that are coming. Donate to voting rights groups. Push for national legislation to stop this.
And don’t sit out 2026. They’re counting on you tuning out. Don’t.
We’ve seen what happens when we let them get away with rigging the rules. Don’t give them the silence they need to finish the job.
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More soon,
Eliza
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