Texas has become the epicentre of a nationwide redistricting confrontation after President Donald Trump said the state is “entitled to five more seats” in Congress. Republican lawmakers in Austin have introduced a rare mid-decade map that would convert five Democratic-held districts into likely GOP gains. Democratic members of the Texas House fled the state for a third time this week, denying the chamber a quorum and stalling the bill. The standoff is reverberating across the country. California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday called for a 5 November special election that would let voters approve a one-time redrawing of his state’s congressional map, a move he says could add five Democratic seats to offset Texas. Governors in New York and Illinois signalled they may follow suit, while Republican-controlled Florida, Ohio, Missouri and Indiana are weighing mid-cycle changes that could net the GOP as many as 14 additional seats, according to the Washington Post. With Republicans holding the U.S. House by just 219-212, both parties view the 2026 midterms as hinging on the new lines. Senator John Cornyn asked FBI Director Kash Patel to help locate the wayward Texas lawmakers, and Texas authorities have issued civil warrants for their return—steps critics say blur the line between law enforcement and partisan politics. Court challenges are expected, but for now the map fight has escalated into a full-scale arms race over who draws America’s electoral boundaries.