The outcome of the GOP primary in Texas could shape the competitiveness of the 2026 general election in a reliably Republican state.

The Texas Senate voted to approve a controversial, mid-decade redistricting bill that redraws the state's congressional map in Republican's favor. The new districts could give the GOP as many as five more seats in Congress after the 2026 midterm elections.

Democrats are trying to retake the Senate majority in the midterms, but to do so, they'd need to defend 13 seats and flip four more.

Texas Rep. James Talarico speaks at a rally, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, at Wrigley Square in Millennium Park in Chicago. (AP Photo/Talia Sprague) Colin Allred, right, attends a public hearing on congressional redistricting at the Texas Capitol in Austin,

Allies of Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) are unleashing millions of dollars in ad money for radio and TV, an influx that appears to have helped shrink state Attorney General Ken Paxton’s once commanding lead in their bitter Texas GOP Senate primary.

A Texas Senate panel has advanced a controversial new congressional map, moving it one step closer to Governor Greg Abbott’s approval — and one step further from what Democrats call fair representation.

Some Democrats lamented that the House’s latest proposal to scrap the test largely resembles a Senate bill the lower chamber declined to sign on earlier this year.