HOUSTON, United States

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law Friday that redraws that state's congressional voting maps favoring Republicans, according to media reports.

The new maps were pushed by President Donald Trump to add potentially five new Republican seats in the US House of Representatives, in which the Republican Party holds a razor-thin three-seat advantage.

Political experts said the move was done to try and secure the Republican majority during the 2026 midterm elections, where traditionally the incumbent president's political party loses seats.

"Texas is now more red in the United States Congress," Abbott said after signing the bill, using the term "red," which is an American reference to the Republican Party.

Democrats said the maps unfairly target and marginalize voters of color, leading dozens of Democratic legislators in the Texas House of Representatives to flee the state in early August to halt the vote during a special legislative session called by Abbott.

Democrats returned last week for a new special session and took part in last Wednesday’s vote in which the bill was passed by the Republican-controlled Texas House.

The Republican-majority Texas Senate also passed the bill last Friday, paving the way for Abbott to sign the bill.

The Republican victory, however, may be short-lived, as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic leaders in that state approved plans to create five new Democrat-friendly congressional maps, which would neutralize the five new Texas congressional seats that were created.

California will put the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot to let voters choose whether to approve the new maps.

Other states, such as Indiana and Illinois, are also considering mid-decade redistricting, while Utah and Ohio are required to redraw their congressional maps this year under court orders.

Democrats and voting rights groups are already challenging the new Texas maps in court, with more lawsuits expected.

"This isn’t over," Texas Democratic Party chair Kendall Scudder said in a statement.

"We’ll see these clowns in court," he added.