The escalating political fight over the Texas congressional map is spreading across other states across the country, triggering an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting arms race with the balance of power in Washington at stake.

Trump is also actively involved in recruitment efforts and intervening early with endorsements to head off messy GOP primary fights in the House and Senate, which could soak up money and energy ahead of general elections. In past cycles, Republicans botched some races by nominating contentious candidates backed by Trump that lost winnable races.

Texas Democrats stand to be fined nearly $400,000 for fleeing the state in a gambit to stop Republican-led redistricting. And should they stay away during potential successive legislative sessions this year, they’d face more than $3.2 million in penalties.

Both Texas Republicans and Democrats are ratcheting up their rhetoric over proposed US House maps that could give the GOP five more seats. But the action in Austin is stalled for now. Most Democrats who left the state to stop the redistricting effort are showing no signs they will come back to Texas.

Texas Democrats are entering the third day after fleeing the state to block Republicans from passing a gerrymandered map that would offer the GOP five pickup opportunities in the House next year. After a Texas House committee advanced new congressional lines during their special session last week,

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he will begin trying to remove Democratic lawmakers from office Monday if they don’t return after dozens of them left the state in a last-resort attempt to block redrawn U.S. House maps that President Donald Trump wants before the 2026 midterm elections.

President Donald Trump said Republicans deserve to redraw the Texas electoral map. “I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know. And we are entitled to five more seats,” he said Tuesday in an interview with CNBC.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has asked the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to remove from office a top state lawmaker he called the “ringleader” of Democrats who left the state to block a vote on a new congr