Here’s a quick recap of what happened over the last week:
Court Battle on Congressional Redistricting
The court battle to determine the fate of the state’s recently redrawn Congressional districts began in El Paso this week. The biggest development so far has been the state’s reversal of its stance on the need for new Congressional districts. When the new maps were initially proposed in July, the state said they were necessary in response to concerns raised by the Department of Justice over districts that were made of a majority of non-white voters. Now, the state contends and admits the new districts were drawn for purely partisan political purposes.
The Trump administration has praised the new maps and had publicly encouraged the state to redraw the districts to try and increase the state’s partisan advantage in the delegation. The Republicans currently hold a 25 to 12 advantage over the Democrats in the state’s delegation. The new maps have the potential to elect as many as five more Republicans from Texas.
The US Supreme Court has made previous rulings that redistricting for partisan purposes is lawful. But the plaintiffs in the case say the state also was racially motivated to redraw the districts in violation of the US Constitution. The plaintiffs claim the state intentionally diluted the voting power of Black and Hispanic voters in Texas. Several Democratic members of the legislature testified on behalf of the plaintiffs that the new maps would have the substantial impact of depressing the vote of Black and Hispanic communities.
Plaintiffs also continued to revisit the fact that the state continually referred to the letter from the Department of Justice as the reason to convene the legislature for the purpose of redrawing the districts. The state argues the maps were “race blind” and has rejected all claims of racial bias, saying the maps were redrawn to maximize the state’s political clout in Congress.
The arguments are being heard by a panel consisting of three federal judges – two appointed by Trump and one by Obama. The plaintiffs will continue to present their side this week, with the state presenting its defense next week. The trial will wrap up by next Friday. The main decision to be made is whether the new plan was enacted at the expense of minority voting strength at the behest of the White House, or whether the state used legitimate means to strengthen their partisan advantage.
No timetable has been given on when the panel will rule. The matter will ultimately be decided by the US Supreme Court.
Government Shutdown Effect on Texas
Congress could not come to an agreement on a spending package, so the federal government shut down at midnight on Monday. Tens of thousands of federal workers will either go to work this week with no promise of a paycheck or be furloughed if they are not considered essential employees. Non-essential workers include staff at national parks such as Big Bend, which will likely shut down until the funding issue is resolved.
Workers that perform more necessary or critical functions such as air traffic controllers, federal law enforcement personnel, and military functions will stay on the job and will be promised back pay once the shutdown ends. This means border patrol agents and active military will stay on the job.
Individual benefit programs such as social security and Medicaid/Medicare are funded separately and are not affected by the shutdown. Workers that administer and distribute those benefits will stay on the job as well.
And of course, all members of Congress will continue to get paid, even after they failed to reach a solution to continue funding the government.
The last government shutdown that started in late 2018 lasted for 35 days.
Crime Task Force in Harris County
The state of Texas will join forces with Harris County law enforcement to create a task force aimed at identifying and cracking down on repeat offenders who are chiefly responsible for the Houston area crime problems. The task force will implement increased intelligence measures to enhance investigational resources and increase patrols in high crime areas. During the regular session, the legislature passed a proposal that will go to the voters for approval that will prohibit judges from granting bail to offenders in circumstances of violent crimes. This task force is intended to build on that initiative and follows the Trump administration’s deployment of federal troops in urban areas such as Chicago and Los Angeles.
According to state leaders, the task force will not require more funding, rather will pool resources that will focus almost entirely on repeat offenders. No word on when the task force will begin its collaboration or what the duration of the task force will be.
UT Receives Offer from Trump Administration
The University of Texas is one of nine schools in the nation that has received an offer from the Trump administration to potentially increase its federal funding in exchange for adopting more conservative initiatives. Universities that agree to participate in the initiative must commit to banning race and sex in hiring practices, freeze tuition for five years, ban test-optional policies for admission, and cap international enrollment at 15%.
In response, the chairman of the system said the University is honored to be selected for the preferential funding and they “welcome the new opportunity presented to work with the Trump administration.”
This initiative follows a continuing theme from state and national leaders to transform universities, who many conservatives believe have attempted to indoctrinate students with a liberal bias. Over the last two sessions, the legislature has passed laws banning programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as severely restricting the role of faculty and university administration in decision making. Now, university system regents – appointed by the Governor – have most if not all influence over the operations of individual campuses.
Political Notes
Austin Democratic state Rep. James Talarico reports raising over $6 million in the first 20 days of his campaign for the Democratic nomination for US Senate. Colin Allred, the main rival of Talarico in the Democratic primary, reports raising $4.1 million for the first three months of his campaign. Talarico reports that the donations came from over 125,000 individuals, most giving less than $100. The winner of the Democratic primary will face the eventual Republican nominee – incumbent John Cornyn or Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Austin Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa is prepping for a run against incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott for Governor of Texas in 2026. Hinojosa has been privately telling donors she will make the run and her political consultant told Axios earlier this week she will jump in the race. To say this is an uphill challenge for Hinojosa is an understatement. She would be challenging a moderately popular incumbent with a war chest of at least $100 million. Hinojosa reported raising a paltry $43,000 during the last reporting period after the recently concluded special session. Serving in her fifth term, Hinojosa has little to no name recognition outside of Austin. Prior to being elected to the state House, she served on the Austin ISD board of trustees. Raised in McAllen, she is the daughter of former Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilbert Hinojosa.
Another Austin area Democratic lawmaker is also considering a run for higher office. Austin state Senator Sarah Eckhardt has formed an exploratory committee to gauge the possibility of a run for the newly created Congressional District 10. The incumbent would have been Republican Michael McCaul, but he announced he will not seek reelection in 2026. The new district leans Republican and runs from western Travis County out into areas of east Texas, containing core areas of solid Republican voters. Eckhardt is in her third term in the Senate, and is not up for reelection in 2026, so this would be a free run for her.
The Lubbock County Republican Party has come out strongly in favor of Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows of Lubbock against the State Republican Executive Committee’s quest to censure nine House members and keep them off the Republican primary ballot next year. The SREC identified the nine members – including Burrows – for their opposition to some party legislative priorities. The local Lubbock party passed a resolution in support of Burrows, likening the SREC actions to the “Soviet Politburo”, going on to say the state party has no right to interfere in local races.
Montgomery County DA Brett Ligon has jumped in the race to succeed outgoing Senator Brandon Creighton, who has resigned his seat to assume the position of Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System. Republican Ligon is the first announced candidate in the solidly red state Senate district that runs from Montgomery County east to Port Arthur.
State Rep. Bobby Guerra of McAllen announced this week he would not seek reelection in 2026. Guerra, a Democrat, is serving in his 6th term in a district based in McAllen that also contains parts of Pharr and Mission. The district is 53% Democrat, making it a target for Republicans in 2026. Republican Sergio Sanchez was the first to jump in the race to succeed Guerra. Sanchez is an attorney and former prosecutor in Hidalgo County.
What’s Next??
The watch continues for a potential third special session, but as time goes on, the likelihood of a fall special session wanes.
We will also continue to watch the retirements, filings, and other movements regarding the 2026 races for legislative, congressional, and statewide offices.