State Republicans redrew their congressional map over the summer to make five Democratic-held seats winnable, in line with the explicit expectation set by President Donald Trump. Republicans pursued that goal largely by “cracking” Democratic-leaning voters across multiple districts. That means voters in Democratic-leaning parts of Texas, like denser areas around Dallas and Austin and communities along the U.S.-Mexico border, are now spread across districts that include larger numbers of Republican-leaning voters. The new map is more likely to deliver those five seats to the GOP if Texans vote the same way they did in the 2024 presidential election, but it's not a sure bet.
