Democratic state senator vows filibuster as Texas GOP redistricting bill nears final vote
A controversial Republican redistricting bill is expected to face a delay in the Texas Senate when a state senator from Houston launches a filibuster ahead of its final vote.
Democratic state Sen. Carol Alvarado announced Friday her plans to filibuster the proposed congressional maps, which could create five GOP-leaning districts.
"Republicans think they can walk all over us," Alvarado said in a post on X. "Today I'm going to kick back. I've submitted my intention to filibuster the new congressional maps. Going to be a long night."
She posted a photo of sneakers on a map of Texas congressional districts.
The Senate has adjourned until 11:30 p.m. local time, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said. Senators began debating the measure at 10 a.m. and continued for several hours before the break.
Senators gave initial approval to the maps in an 18–11 vote, split along party lines. A final vote is expected, after which the bill would head to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk for approval.
The Republican-backed proposal, which passed the House in an 88–52 party-line vote on Wednesday, aims to redraw the state's congressional map and produce five new GOP-leaning districts. The effort is being pushed at the request of President Trump.
This isn't the first time Alvarado has filibustered. In a 2021 filibuster, Alvarado spoke for 15 hours and 7 minutes to delay a vote on voting restrictions, setting a record for the longest filibuster by a woman in the Texas Senate.
Texas Senate filibuster rules
According to filibuster rules for the Texas Senate:
- Only senators can filibuster, and only in the Senate.
- They must stand the whole time — no sitting or leaning.
- No eating, drinking, or bathroom breaks.
- They have to stay on topic and speak clearly.
- After three rule violations, they can be forced to stop.
- Answering questions is allowed and gives short breaks.
Texas Senate Democrats previously walked out in protest
The Texas Senate Committee on Redistricting advanced the bill on Thursday along party lines. When a similar redistricting bill passed the Senate during the first special session, all but two Democrats walked out of the chamber in protest. If all 11 Democrats are absent, Republicans would be one senator shy of a quorum.
Earlier this month, Texas House Democrats fled the state for two weeks to deny a mandatory quorum in the House, killing the first special session and visiting blue states to drum up support. They returned earlier this week, allowing the votes to proceed.
Democrats have vowed to challenge the legality of the new map in court, arguing it undermines fair representation and dilutes minority voting power.
The Texas redistricting plan has sparked a nationwide fight over political boundaries.
Earlier this year, Mr. Trump asked Abbott to call a special session so lawmakers could create additional Republican districts, the New York Times reported. The unusual mid-decade redistricting was meant to help the GOP retain its narrow majority in the House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm elections.
The president's party almost always loses seats in Congress in the midterms, according to historical data. Democrats gained 41 House seats and the majority in 2018, Mr. Trump's first term, and Republicans picked up nine seats to claim the majority in 2022, during President Biden's term.
Meanwhile, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has joined the redistricting fight, introducing a new congressional map designed to make five Republican House seats more favorable to Democrats. Voters will need to approve the plan in a special election called for the fall.
Newsom said the move was necessary to "fight fire with fire" and prevent what he called a Trump-backed attempt to rig the 2026 midterm elections.