Dozens of Democratic legislators who fled Texas to halt a redistricting drive have ended their two-week standoff, clearing the way for a new electoral map pushed by US President Donald Trump.
With their return, the Texas House now has enough politicians to form a quorum and approve a map that carves out five new Republican-friendly US congressional seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
More than 50 Democrats had stalled legislative business with their walk out, which took them across the country and garnered national headlines as they sought to draw attention to the rare mid-decade redistricting push.
They left the state earlier this month to deny Republicans the quorum needed to vote on redistricting legislation - a tactic taken several times, mostly without success
"When Republicans tried to silence minority voters through racist gerrymandering, Texas House Democrats answered the call," the Texas House Democratic Caucus said in a statement on the legislators' return.
It added: "After rallying Americans to join this existential battle for democracy, we're returning to Texas on our terms - ready to build the legal record needed to defeat these unconstitutional maps in court.
"The fight continues."
The moves in Texas have set off an escalating redistricting battle across the country, with Republican governors in several other states exploring new maps in a bid to protect the party's razor-thin majority in the US House of Representatives.
Politico reported that Republicans could draw as many as 10 new seats ahead of the midterms and are targeting Ohio, Missouri, New Hampshire, Indiana, South Carolina and Florida.
President Trump believes redistricting would help maintain Republicans' slim control of Congress in midterm elections next year, but the plan has many vocal naysayers with Democrats threatening retaliation.
Democrats have vowed to respond with their own proposals in California and possibly in New York.
The Texas Democrats amassed daily fines of $500 (€428) each during their absence and were hit with lawsuits from Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, who tried to remove them from office.
Republican John Cornyn, who is fighting a challenge for his US Senate seat from Paxton, enlisted the FBI in locating the absent politicians while State House speaker Dustin Burrows issued civil arrest warrants.
But the group only agreed to return after denying a vote on the new map during a first special legislative session and after California politicians agreed to redraw their own map to give Democrats five more seats.
Mr Abbott called a second special session that began on Friday.
California state politicians were expected this week to consider a new map counteracting the Texas changes.
Accreditation AFP/ Reuters
