Here’s a quick recap of what happened over the last week:
Supreme Court Approves Congressional Map
The US Supreme Court yesterday upheld the newly drawn Texas Congressional map designed to elect 5 more Republicans to Congress from Texas. The Court reversed a lower court ruling that stated the map was designed to dilute the voting power of racial minority groups. A three-judge panel ruled in November that Texas could not use the newly drawn maps saying the state had racially gerrymandered when drawing the new lines. The state appealed that ruling to the US Supreme Court asking it to overturn the initial ruling.
The high court agreed with the state, ruling in part that the lower court did not consider what the Court called “legislative good faith”, instead relying on “ambiguous direct and circumstantial evidence.” The Court also argued that it was too late to abandon the new map due to the closeness of the 2026 primary elections. The state maintained in their arguments to the Court that the map was being redrawn for purely partisan purposes, which the Supreme Court has previously ruled is legal and acceptable. The districts can now stay in place for the 2026 election cycle while the legal process plays out over the next several months.
The candidate filing period is well underway and ends Monday. The primary election date is March 3rd.
The maps were drawn in a special session this past summer at the behest of President Trump, wanting to have the opportunity to elect more Republicans to Congress in an attempt for the GOP to maintain its partisan majority in the US House. Several other red states – Arkansas, Indiana, North Carolina — have followed and redrawn their maps in an attempt to increase Republican representation. Voters in California have also approved a new Congressional map in that heavily blue state designed to increase Democratic representation there.
Currently, the Republicans have a 25-12 partisan advantage among the Texas delegation in the US House. Under the new map that will now go into effect, Republicans will have the opportunity to elect up to 30 Republicans.
New Laws Taking Effect
Over 800 new laws took effect on September 1st that were the result of the regular session that concluded in June. Now there are dozens more set to take effect that were the result of the two special sessions in July and August.
The most notable of course is the legislation redrawing the state’s 38 Congressional districts discussed above.
Several other laws that took effect December 4th include a law that will now allow private citizens to sue anyone who manufacturers or distributes abortion drugs in Texas. Another new law replaces the current STAAR academic test in public schools with three shorter tests throughout the year that will start in the fall of 2026. The drug ivermectin is now legal in Texas. The drug became popular as a treatment for COVID and can now be used without a prescription. And the law just going into effect that was a priority of state leadership for years restricts the use of public restrooms by transgender individuals. The use of restrooms in public buildings and government offices, public schools and universities, and jails must be done according to sex assigned at birth.
Taking effect in January is now a requirement that all county sheriffs must fully cooperate with ICE enforcement operations and a law to expedite the eviction process for squatters, which are those identified as illegally occupying properties and vacant housing.
Congressman Cuellar Pardoned
On Wednesday, President Trump pardoned Democratic Congressman Henry Cueller of Laredo. Cuellar and his wife were accused of and charged with the acceptance of over $600,000 in bribes from foreign entities, including the nation of Azerbaijan. The charges also alleged Cuellar and his wife laundered the money through shell companies and accounts and that he subsequently pushed for funding and policies benefitting the nation and related interests. Two of Cuellar’s political advisors had already pled guilty in the case.
Cuellar, 70, is considered an institution in south Texas. He was first elected to the Texas House in 1986 and served there until 2001 when he was appointed by then Republican Governor Rick Perry to serve as Texas Secretary of State. He was elected to Congress in 2004 and has survived numerous challenges from both Democrats and Republicans. He is currently the only Texas Democrat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
Speculation of a party switch immediately swirled, but Cuellar filed for reelection as a Democrat for Congressional District 28 the day the pardon was announced. He is facing a serious challenge once again, this time from Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, a Democrat turned Republican. President Trump carried the district as redrawn under the new Congressional plan by 10 points. This is one of the districts being targeted by Republicans to flip in the 2026 cycle.
New Vehicle Registration Requirements
In response to a demand from state Rep. Brian Harrison, Gov. Abbott has directed the Department of Motor Vehicles to stop issuing vehicle registrations to undocumented individuals. In response, the agency alerted all local tax offices this week that effective immediately, anyone wishing to renew their vehicle registration must show proof of legal status. This means that in addition to showing your driver’s license and proof of insurance, you must now present a valid US passport to renew your vehicle registration. Counties are unsure how they will implement this new system. It is still unknown as to whether counties will now require all renewals to be in person — as opposed to the current renewals that can be done online or by mail — since they now must validate the passports being shown as proof of citizenship.
Secretary of State Investigating Harris County Elections
The Texas Secretary of State’s office has informed Harris County elections officials that they have launched an investigation into their voter roll maintenance following a complaint by state Senator Paul Bettencourt of Houston. Bettencourt has alleged that the county is allowing the use of P.O. Boxes to be used as addresses on voter registration rolls, instead of physical addresses as required by law.
In 2023, the legislature passed a law that now allows the SOS to intervene in the operations of elections in Harris County when a complaint is presented to their office. If the complaint is found to be valid, this could lead to a state takeover of the operations of elections in Harris County. Secretary of State Jane Nelson said in response to the complaint that her office is taking the potential violations very seriously and would not hesitate to implement state oversight if the violations are found to be valid.
Republicans have targeted the Harris County elections process since 2020, when allegations of fraud surfaced due to various changes in procedure for the election to make accommodations during the COVID pandemic. As Harris County turned completely blue in 2022, Gov. Abbott has said it is a priority to turn the county “dark red” in 2026.
Senate to Investigate Solar Companies
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick this week announced the Texas Senate will investigate two solar energy companies for their alleged ties to China. Canadian Solar and Austin based T1 Energy have both invested heavily in solar based manufacturing facilities in Texas. Patrick cites a recent Fox News report as the need for the Senate to question and investigate the companies and their ties to China.
The Fox reported cited Canadian Solar’s extensive operations in China that were listed on the company’s SEC filings in 2025 that included their admission of approximately 12,000 employees in China. The company has invested over $250 million in manufacturing facilities in Texas. The report also details the creation and leadership of T1 Energy, which was founded as a subsidiary of China based Trina Solar and is now headed by member of China’s National People’s Congress. T1 markets itself as a supplier of solar energy and batteries.
Both companies will be called before the Senate Business and Commerce committee early next year to detail their company structure and potential involvement with interests from China. This continues a trend of the legislative action focusing on countering Chinese influence in Texas. Most recently, the legislature passed a law to prohibit Chinese nationals from purchasing land in Texas.
Political Notes
Another week another poll in the US Senate race. This time, the Senate Majority PAC – the campaign arm of the US Senate Democrats – released a poll for the Republican primary done by Public Policy Polling showing AG Ken Paxton widening his lead over incumbent John Cornyn and Congressman Wesley Hunt. The poll shows Paxton leading with 32%, with Cornyn and Hunt coming in at 22%.
Rep. Gary VanDeaver, Republican of New Boston in far northeast Texas, became the latest Texas House member to announce he would not seek reelection in 2026. VanDeaver was first elected in 2014 and gained fame with his unwavering and intense opposition to private school vouchers. His vocal opposition led to Gov. Abbott endorsing an opponent in the 2024 election cycle, but VanDeaver survived and returned for the 2025 session. Chris Spencer, the candidate backed by Abbott in 2024 that narrowly lost to VanDeaver, is up and running again. He will face fellow Republican Josh Bray in the primary.
And speaking of retirements, Republican Congressman Troy Nehls of Richmond announced this week he would not seek reelection in 2026. Troy’s identical twin brother Trevor has already joined the race along with former state Rep. Jacey Jetton, also of Richmond. As a side note, Congressman Nehls actively campaigned against Jetton in 2024 when he was defeated by current Rep. Matt Morgan.
Nehls is one of six fellow Republicans from Texas who will not seek reelection to Congress in 2026. The others are Morgan Luttrell of Magnolia, Michael McCaul of Austin, Jodey Arrington of Lubbock, Wesley Hunt of Houston (running for US Senate), and Chip Roy of Dripping Springs (running for Texas Attorney General).
Another Texas Congressional race that is heating up is between incumbent Republican Tony Gonzales of San Antonio and challenger Brandon Herrera, who was narrowly defeated by Gonzales in 2024. Herrera is a gun rights activist and YouTube influencer who reports raising over $1 million in his 2nd challenge to Gonzales. More interestingly, he is also accusing Gonzales of having an extramarital affair with a former aide who died earlier this year by setting herself on fire. Herrera is citing reports by tabloid publications Current Revolt and Daily Mail that accused Gonzales of the infidelity. The reports have never been confirmed, and Gonzales vehemently denies the allegations. But look for this race to become increasingly nasty for the red leaning district running from San Antonio to areas in south and west Texas.
Staying with the Congressional theme, Dallas Democrat Jasmine Crockett will make an announcement on her political future on Monday in Dallas. Crockett is in her 2nd term and has gained notoriety among Democrats for her aggressive opposition to President Trump. She has also been considering a race for the Democratic nomination for US Senate. The announcement will be to declare her intentions to run for the Senate or seek reelection to her Congressional seat. If she runs for the Senate, she will join state Rep. James Talarico and former Congressman Colin Allred in the Democratic field. The winner will face the winner of the Republican primary between incumbent John Cornyn, Texas AG Ken Paxton, and Congressman Wesley Hunt of Houston.
We would like to acknowledge the passing of former Rep. Gary Elkins of Houston. Elkins served in the Texas House from 1995 to 2018 representing a district in the Jersey Village area. He was defeated in 2018 by Rep. Jon Rosenthal, a Democrat who was able to turn the seat by a slim margin. Elkins was retired from his real estate and payday lending businesses and was living in St. Croix at the time of his death. Elkins, 70, is survived by his wife of 50 years, four children and six grandchildren.
What’s Next??
The candidate filing period for those seeking office in 2026 has begun and runs through this coming Monday, December 8th. We will monitor the filings and continue to watch the retirements and other movements regarding the 2026 races for legislative, congressional, and statewide offices.