Redistricting Bill Clears Texas Senate

Early Saturday morning on a party-line vote, the Texas State Senate passed their version of a redistricting bill that would drastically re-draw the congressional districts of the state, potentially netting Republicans five more seats. The final vote on redistricting happened after Republicans in the State Senate, which is led by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, thwarted a filibuster by Senator Carol Alvarado, a Democrat who represents Houston.

Alvarado had announced her intention to filibuster the bill and had already made the physical and logistical preparations for the grueling task, which requires a Senator to remain standing (with no leaning), not consume any food or drink, and to not take any restroom breaks. Four years ago, Alvarado had filibustered a voter-suppression bill for over fifteen hours.

“This Is Not A Democracy”

But using procedural moves and alleging she was violating Senate decorum, Alvarado was blocked this time around. Her colleague Senator Sarah Eckhardt slammed the actions of her GOP colleagues, saying “this is not a democracy, it’s disgraceful.”

In a video posted on social media after the filibuster block, Eckhardt held up a binder filled with comments that had been sent to her office by over 2,000 Texans who were opposed to the new congressional maps. She said that she was planning to read them as she supported Alvarado during the filibuster.

Alvarado also posted a video addressing what happened to her. She said that it was a part of an orchestrated effort by Republicans in the state to shut down the voices of Texans. However, she vowed this was not the end. "I will not be silent, and I will not stop talking about this."

On Saturday morning, Governor Greg Abbott released a statement congratulating the Texas Senate for passing the “one big beautiful map.” That was presumably an allusion to the massive spending bill that Republicans passed in the U.S. Congress, which many economists warn will drastically cut health care and substantially worsen the cost of living for nearly all Americans.

What Comes Next

There are already legal challenges being mounted against the newly redrawn districts. And blue states like California are also moving to enact their own efforts to redraw congressional lines.

Earlier this week, lawmakers in California passed a slew of bills that will tee up a special election in November, where voters in the state can decide if they are willing to support a Democratic redrawing of their congressional maps. Governor Gavin Newsom has been particularly defiant in saying his state was prepared to counteract the moves of Texas, where redistricting only became a special session agenda item after pressure from the Trump White House.

On the legal front, there have already been complaints filed to existing lawsuits against the Texas congressional maps. According to Democracy Docket, a status hearing will take place on August 27 to determine whether an expedited preliminary injunction can take place.

There is also speculation that Texas Democrats will challenge the redistricting bill with the Texas Supreme Court, which is comprised of all Republicans (six of whom were appointed by Abbott).  

Primary elections are set to take place in Texas on March 3, 2026. And the filing deadline for candidates is December 8, 2025.