The two most populous states are in a political battle poised to have a major impact on the balance of power in Washington DC.

Texas lawmakers meet again Friday, when the Republican majority in the Senate could give final approval to their map.

Texas lawmakers approved a new congressional map this week at the behest of President Donald Trump, seeking to preserve his Republican Party's slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in the November 2026 midterm elections.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom used his Democratic supermajority to push a new congressional map that favors Democrats in an effort to nullify the expected new map from Texas.

This fall, California's voters will decide whether to approve the Democratic party's plan to gerrymander the state's congressional map, which serves a transparent political purpose: countering Texas Republicans' new map.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic state lawmakers moved quickly to create new districts that could help their party flip five congressional seats. Their plan still requires voter approval.

California has worked fast to advance a new congressional district map that would offset potential Republican gains in Texas as next year's midterms loom.

The effort is aimed at redrawing the state’s congressional districts after Texas’ GOP-led House advanced its controversial new electoral map a day earlier.

California lawmakers voted mostly along party lines Thursday to approve legislation calling for a special election in November to approve a redrawn congressional map.

The Texas Senate gave final approval to a new, Republican-leaning congressional voting map early Saturday, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature. President Donald Trump has pushed for the map to help the GOP maintain its slim majority in Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.