AUSTIN, Texas — California has landed its counterpunch. The national tug-of-war over redistricting and voters in the 2026 midterm elections shifts once again back to Texas, where it all started.

California Democrats passed a trio of redistricting bills Thursday, a day after Republicans in the Texas House passed new maps of their own. Taken together, the package of bills backed by Democratic Gov.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, who has represented Austin in Congress for 30 years, said Thursday he might not seek reelection in 2026 if the state’s newly approved redistricting map remains in place.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a longtime House Democrat and senior member of the Ways and Means Committee with a progressive track record, will no longer run for reelection to his current seat if Texas Republicans’ redrawn legislative maps aren’t shot down in court.

The announcement from Rep. Lloyd Doggett means Texas Democrats appear to have avoided a potentially messy congressional primary.