Texas Republicans, who currently hold 25 U.S. House seats, said they hoped the mid-decade redistricting effort would help them net up to five more seats during the 2026 midterm elections. Among those is TX-09, which covers portions of South Houston and is served by U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston. The changes will also affect TX-18, a seat that is currently vacant and will be filled by a Nov. 4 special election after U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner died March 4.
District 9 will shift east to include communities outside Harris County under the new map, while District 18 will move to absorb the existing portions of District 9. A trio of federal judges began a nine-day hearing Oct. 1 to determine if the map can be used in next year’s elections.
The overview
Texas lawmakers began redistricting this summer, after President Donald Trump asked Texas and other GOP-led states to redraw their congressional maps to benefit Republicans outside the decennial redistricting period. Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, said the “primary changes” to Texas’ congressional map were focused on five districts:
- TX-09, served by U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston
- TX-28, served by U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo
- TX-32, served by U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Farmers Branch
- TX-34, served by U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen
- TX-35, served by U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin
If the federal court allows Texas’ redrawn congressional map to become law, the new districts will take effect in January 2027—the beginning of the next congressional cycle—and will not impact current congressional terms. Candidates will have from Nov. 8-Dec. 8 to file to appear on the March 3 primary ballots.
This November, a special election will be held to fill a vacant seat representing TX-18 after U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner died in March. The winner of that election will serve the remainder of the term. All congressional seats are up for election in 2026.
All states are constitutionally required to redistrict every 10 years after a census, although mid-decade redistricting is not unprecedented, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. Texas lawmakers also redrew the state’s congressional boundaries in 2003.
The debate
Rottinghaus said political parties can maximize their success in a district through multiple ways, such as drawing lines that would favor a certain political party, changing the district’s demographic profile or increasing district sizes to include additional territories.
“Looking at the way District 9 has been produced, it’s certainly going to be a lot less urban than it was, and it’s a lot less of a Black district than it was,” Rottinghaus said. “That means it’s going to be a challenge for Democrats to try to win those seats.”
In District 18, the county will see a decrease in white, Asian and Hispanic voters as portions of the overall population are moved to different districts.
District 9 was redrawn from covering southern Houston to eastern Harris and Liberty counties.
District 18, which previously only covered Harris County, was shifted southeast to include communities in Harris and Fort Bend counties.
In Bellaire, Meyerland and West University Place, under the new map, residents will be split between District 7 and District 18. Meanwhile, constituents in the Heights, River Oaks and Montrose communities will be largely banded together under District 7.
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In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court gave map•makers the flexibility on when and how to redraw district lines through the League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry case, which Rottinghaus said allowed mid-decade redistricting.
A redistricting effort in 2003 led to Texas Republicans winning 21 U.S. House seats to Democrats’ 11 during the 2004 election—a jump from 2002, when Democrats won 17 seats and Republicans won 15, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.
Eve Myers, a board member at the League of Women Voters of Houston, a nonpartisan organization aimed at increasing voter participation, said the new map potentially places communities under the leadership of representatives who may not have the expertise to represent them.
“Both [Districts] 18 and 9 ... have been shifted to include disparate communities that may not have the same interests as those living within the urban population,” she said.
The timeline
Three federal judges will determine if Texas’ new congressional map can take effect after a nine-day hearing in El Paso, concluding after press time. Minority advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against the map in August.
- Aug. 23-29: A lawsuit was filed against the new congressional map days before Gov. Greg Abbott signed it into law
- Oct. 1-10: Three federal judges review the lawsuit in El Paso
- Nov. 4: Election Day for local races and vacant seats in the U.S. Congress
- Nov. 8-Dec. 8: Candidate filing period for 2026 primary elections
