AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday signed the new congressional map — which could help Republicans maintain control of Congress following next year’s midterm elections — into law that led to a two-week quorum break from dozens of House Democrats.

“Texas is now more red in the United States Congress,” Abbott said in a video posted on social media of him signing the measure.

President Donald Trump asked the Texas Legislature to redraw the state’s congressional districts in order to minimize the risk of Republicans losing control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 elections. House Bill 4, which contains the map, could net five additional seats in Texas for the GOP.

Abbott called lawmakers back to the Capitol last month in the first of two special sessions to pass the new congressional map and address flooding legislation following catastrophic floods in the Hill Country over July 4th weekend.

Democratic state lawmakers were outraged when the map was introduced late last month, arguing it was racist and would dilute the power of non-white voters in Texas. Republicans defended the map, arguing that the map was drawn strictly to help the GOP have more seats in Congress.

In an effort to stop the map from passing, more than 50 House Democrats fled the state earlier this month to deny the Texas House a quorum — freezing all legislative activity — to stop the map from passing. It didn’t work and the map ultimately reached Abbott’s desk as the governor said he would keep calling lawmakers back until the congressional districts were redrawn.

Texas Democratic party Chair Kendall Scudder bashed the map in a Friday statement and said the party will continue fighting against the map.

“This isn’t over — we’ll see these clowns in court,” Scudder said in a statement. “We aren’t done fighting against these racially discriminatory maps, and fully expect the letter of the law to prevail over these sycophantic Republican politicians who think the rules don’t apply to them.”

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