Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned he will call back lawmakers for a second special session if House Democrats, who fled the state to block a GOP-backed redistricting plan, do not return by Friday.
The current special session is set to end Aug. 19. Abbott said if Democrats remain out of state and continue breaking quorum, he will call another session immediately — and keep doing so until the map is passed.
“Democrats act like they’re not going to come back as long as this is an issue,” Abbott told NBC News. “That means they’re not going to come back until like 2027 or 2028, because I’m going to call special session after special session.”
The governor signaled the next session could carry the same agenda — and potentially expand it. That could include adding more Republican-leaning districts to the proposed congressional map.
“Democrats can run to another state, but they can’t outrun the will of Texans,” Abbott wrote on X. “If there’s no quorum Friday, Special Session #2 will start immediately after Sine Die. Same agenda, with potential to add more. I’ll call special after special until the Texas-first agenda is passed.”
The proposed map would redraw congressional lines to add four to five GOP-leaning seats. That shift could boost Republican representation from 25 to roughly 30 of Texas’ 38 U.S. House districts.
Key Democratic strongholds in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin-San Antonio, and South Texas would be directly affected:
- Merging Houston’s 9th District (Rep. Al Green) and 18th District into a single 9th.
- Combining Dallas-Fort Worth’s 32nd and 33rd districts.
- Consolidating Austin’s 35th and 37th districts.
- Redrawing South Texas’ 28th District (Rep. Henry Cuellar) and 34th District (Rep. Vicente Gonzalez).
With Republicans holding firm control of both chambers of the Legislature, the changes could cement GOP dominance in Texas politics for years.
READ NEXT: Massive Criminal Cover-Up In Blue City Sparks Trump’s Fiery Response
