Texas Gov. Abbott says he will keep calling special sessions until redistricting maps pass

Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott says he will continue to call special sessions of the state legislature until the new congressional map gets passed – and state Democrats remain outside the state to prevent the Assembly of having enough votes to pass bills.

"Democrats act like they’re not going to come back as long as this is an issue,” Abbott said during a Thursday interview with NBC News. “That means they’re not going to come back until like 2027 or 2028, because I’m going to call special session after special session after special session with the same agenda items on there.”

The governor also said that he would use "every tool" he could to make sure the Democrats who fled the state would be held accountable. 

Texas Republicans want to redraw the state's congressional map to give them additional House seats in the 2026 midterm election to keep the GOP majority.