About 200 are gathered in the rotunda for a rally supporting Democrats as Republicans prepare to approve new congressional maps on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025.

State Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth is the only Democrat who refused Republican leaders’ orders to sign a permission slip and accept a police escort in order to leave the chamber.

Texas House Democrats who fled their state to stall a Republican redistricting effort returned on Monday, ending their 15-day holdout.

On Wednesday, the Texas House is finally debating a new map for the state's congressional districts that could give Republicans as many as five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Republicans are kicking off a gerrymandering arms race that Democrats can’t win, according to the analysis of most election watchers. The question now is whether Democrats can generate enough seats to give them a chance to retake the House in the future.

Some Texas state House Democrats are refusing to leave the chamber, after Republicans required them to sign a form allowing Department of Public Safety troopers to follow them.

Democratic allies say walkout effectively drew national attention, as legislature begins second special session to pass redistricting

Former President Barack Obama waded into the debate over redistricting in a zoom call with Texas House Democrats on Thursday, warning of a “systematic assault on democracy” spurred by Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps in Texas.

The Republican-controlled Texas legislature is expected to pass a new congressional map creating five new winnable seats for the GOP.