Texas Democrats, who had left the state to halt an aggressive redistricting, returned to Texas and ended their two-week walkout on Monday, paving the way for Republicans to pass a redrawn congressional map called for by President Trump.

For the past two weeks, Republican leaders in Texas bristled at the Democrats’ flight and took extraordinary steps to pressure them to return. Gov. Greg Abbott and the state attorney general, Ken Paxton, sued to try to remove the absent Democrats from office. Senator John Cornyn got the F.B.I. involved in locating them. The State House speaker, Dustin Burrows, issued civil arrest warrants and threatened to impose $500 daily fines under House rules.

But in the end, Democrats said they had decided to return only after they had denied a vote during a first special legislative session, a move that drew national attention to Mr. Trump’s push for a rare mid-decade redistricting and helped propel Democratic states to begin their own redistricting efforts.

On Monday, California state lawmakers were expected to move forward on a measure to redraw the state’s congressional map to favor Democrats and counteract the changes in Texas, a move championed by California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom.

Texas Democrats who left the state to stymie Republicans over redistricting have returned to Austin, ending a two-week standoff over President Donald Trump’s plan to carve out five new GOP congressional seats.

Their return to the state means the Texas House now has the sufficient number of legislators needed to pass a new map benefiting the GOP. Democrats had used the gambit to stall legislative business and bring national attention to Republicans’ decision to pursue off-cycle redistricting ahead of the midterms.

In a statement, the Texas House Democratic Caucus said that members returned on Monday morning “to launch the next phase in their fight against the racist gerrymander that provoked a weeks-long standoff with Governor [Greg] Abbott and President Trump.”

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The drama in Texas set off a national redistricting battle, most prominently with California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowing to retaliate against Texas Republicans by extracting an equal number of Democratic-leaning districts from California’s congressional map. Trump has also been pushing to take his redistricting plan to other Republican-led states, like Indiana and Missouri.

Texas Democrats debated how long to stay away from the state, but ultimately laid out two conditions for their return: that the legislature end its first special session and that California lawmakers introduce their own map granting Democrats five more seats to counter Texas. Both of those occurred on Friday, prompting the Texas lawmakers to start returning home.

By breaking quorum, the members racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. It also set off a legal fight brought by Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, who sought to remove some of the Democrats from office.

Aid for Central Texas flood victims was held up by the standoff. Republicans put redistricting first on the legislative calendar, ahead of disaster relief considerations — a move that Democrats called out as irresponsible. The GOP, in response, argued that Democrats were delaying that relief by remaining out of state.

Abbott had promised to continue calling special sessions after the first one ended, beginning with a second one that began on Friday — a move that added to the pressure he and other GOP leaders exerted on Democrats to end their protest.

Texas House Democrats announced on Monday that they had returned to Austin for the next stage in a broader redistricting battle playing out across the country, saying their conditions to return to the Lone Star State had been met.

“We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance and intimidation, and rallied Democrats nationwide to join this existential fight for fair representation — reshaping the entire 2026 landscape,” Texas Democratic House Caucus Chair Gene Wu said in a statement.

“We’re returning to Texas more dangerous to Republicans’ plans than when we left. Our return allows us to build the legal record necessary to defeat this racist map in court, take our message to communities across the state and country, and inspire legislators across the country how to fight these undemocratic redistricting schemes in their own statehouses,” he added.

Texas House lawmakers are scheduled to meet at 1pm E.T. on Monday during their second special session.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday called a second special session to push through a redrawing of congressional maps to secure up to five more Republican seats in the US House.

Unlike the first special session, the new 30-day session may end with the GOP-friendly maps being passed. Texas House Democrats who fled the state to stop the redistricting signaled Thursday they are prepared to end their standoff and return to the Capitol.

The Democrats laid out two conditions for returning: the first special session ending and California introducing its new congressional map to offset GOP gains in Texas by producing up to five new US House seats for Democrats.

The California legislature is set to convene on Monday to begin the legislative process around their proposed map. And the second special session Abbott called began Friday afternoon.

Texas House Democrats could return to Austin as soon as Monday, a source familiar with the matter said.

Abbott blasted Texas House Democrats who stalled efforts on redistricting and other issues.

“Delinquent House Democrats ran away from their responsibility to pass crucial legislation to benefit the lives of Texans,” Abbott said. “We will not back down from this fight. That’s why I am calling them back today to finish the job. I will continue to use all necessary tools to ensure Texas delivers results for Texans.”

Republicans are expected to consider the same map that was introduced in the first special session, but Abbott left the door open to further changes.

Asked whether he’s prepared to add Republican seats to the map or consider redistricting for state legislative seats, Abbott told reporters, “We’ll wait and see, but we hold a lot more bullets in our belt that we’ll be ready to use if we need to.”

When the second special session began Friday, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows said he expects quorum could be met on Monday and hopes lawmakers can complete legislative business by Labor Day weekend.

Burrows advised lawmakers to return to the state Capitol by 12 p.m. Central (1 p.m. Eastern) on Monday.

The Texas House of Representatives and Senate adjourned the first special session Friday morning after state House Democrats remained out of the state for nearly two weeks to deny a quorum.

“I am proud of what we accomplished. We ended a session that had nothing to do with helping Texans and everything to do with silencing them,” state Rep. Ann Johnson said. “And we exposed the truth behind the Governor’s political agenda: to hijack the maps, erase opposition, and decide the next election before a single vote is cast.

Upon their return, the Democrats plan to make their case against the bill on the Texas House floor. Legal challenges to the map also are expected.

In addition to redistricting, the second special session will address flood relief following the catastrophic storms in the Texas Hill County last month and a slew of other conservative priorities.

The agenda largely mirrors the plans set forth for the first special session but adds in consideration of legislation relating to camp safety. Dozens of campers and camp employees died in the July 4 floods in the state.

Texas House Democrats who fled the state to stall a Republican redistricting plan have signaled they’re ready to return to the Lone Star State in the coming days.

The Texas state legislature wrapped up its first special session on Friday, one of the conditions the Democrats gave for ending their quorum break. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) quickly called a second special session, with Democrats’ anticipated return set to clear the way for the Texas House to move forward with an aggressive gerrymander that could net five more House seats for the GOP in the midterms.

But the quorum-breaking Texas Democrats are touting the national attention they’ve brought to the redistricting fight and looking for hope from California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has vowed to move forward with his own new map.

Here’s what to know as Democrats plan to end the standoff:

Why now?

It was always highly unlikely that Texas Democrats would be able to permanently thwart the GOP’s redistricting effort. But by fleeing the state, they hoped to raise national attention over the issue and inspire Democrat-led states to move forward with their own new maps.

In both cases, they succeeded.

The Texas Democrats’ decision to leave made the redistricting battle a national story. And now California is moving forward with its own effort to rewrite its congressional lines in the hopes of counteracting the Texas GOP. Other blue states may soon follow.

The Texas Democrats also wanted to hold out until the first special session came to an end, which it did on Friday. They cited both that and California’s decision to move forward with redistricting as its preconditions for coming home.

The developments allow Democrats to frame the outcome as a victory, even if Republicans will also tout their return as a win.

There were also other financial and political risks for the Democrats. They’ve been forced to parry Republican criticism that they’re holding up other legislative business — including disaster relief for Texas affected by recent floods — by staying out-of-state. And each quorum breaker has been racking up $500-a-day fines for their absence, on top of threats of removal and arrest, as well as the logistical cost of living away from their homes.

What does it mean for the new Texas maps?

The new GOP-friendly maps are almost certain to pass once the Democrats return to the state.

Even as they remained out of state, a set of new congressional lines passed in the state Senate, while an identical set of lines were also approved by a state House committee. House Republicans couldn’t bring the new map to a floor vote in the lower chamber, however, until the Democrats returned.

With the Democrats expected to return to the state, Republicans will have the quorum needed to hold a vote on and pass their map. The map would go next to Abbott for his signature before the new congressional lines are enacted.

Texas Democrats knew they would inevitably return to the state since Abbott had threatened to call special session after special session until they returned. Democrats had no options available for blocking the new map from passing, since Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and the GOP also has a Republican governor.

How are both sides spinning it?

Republicans are touting their return as a win, since it means they will be able to move forward with passing new congressional lines.

But Democrats are celebrating the outcome as a political victory too.

“Abbott thought he could silence Black and Latino Texans with his redistricting scheme. He was wrong. We fought back — now other states, starting with California, will neutralize their power grab,” the Texas House Democrats said in a statement posted on X.

National Democrats also hailed it as a win that Republicans were unable to pass their new House map during the first special session.

“Under threats to their safety and livelihood, Texas Democrats have continued to deny Republicans a quorum to enact their rigged maps and ignited a national Democratic movement,” Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.

“From California to Washington, D.C, Democrats will continue to stand with the American people and the people of Texas as we battle against Trump and Republicans’ anti-democratic attacks,” he added.

But the White House is also pushing other states like Indiana and Missouri to redraw their maps as well – raising questions over how many states will ultimately get involved in the fight and have the upper hand.

What does it mean for the wider redistricting battle?

The redistricting battle in Texas has turned into a nationwide war, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) wants to hold a special election in November to ask voters to weigh in on a ballot measure allowing the state legislature to redraw the state’s congressional maps for the rest of the decade.

“I hope we are waking up to this reality. Wake up, America. Wake up to what Donald Trump is doing,” Newsom said at a Thursday event on the effort. “Wake up to his assault, wake up to the assault on institutions and knowledge and history. Wake up to his war on science, public health and his war on the American people.”

California Democrats released their proposed new map, which targets five Republican incumbents, on Friday night.

Other states are also considering jumping into the fray. Ohio is already set to redistrict due to state requirements, and Republicans in Florida and Missouri have suggested they’ll be revisiting their maps, too.

Other blue states like New York and Illinois are also weighing redistricting now.

Is it really the end of the fight in Texas?

The next front in the Texas redistricting battle is likely to play out in the courts.

As the Democrats’ statement noted on Thursday, their legal counsel has advised them to “return to Texas to build a strong public legislative record for the upcoming legal battle against a map that violates both the current Voting Rights Act and the Constitution.”

“We will return to the House floor and to the courthouse with a clear message: the fight to protect voting rights has only just begun,” it added.

Democratic groups are likely to file a lawsuit once Texas passes its new map. If that battle plays out in state courts, it will almost certainly fail since the Texas Supreme Court has a conservative majority.

If it were to somehow play out in federal court, it’s not as clear-cut, given the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled favorably for Democrats in the past over the Voting Rights Act. At the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court still enjoys a conservative majority.

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