Former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke is the preferred candidate among Democratic voters in the state’s 2026 Senate race, according to recent polling — despite having lost three major races within a span of four years.

Democratic Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier spent the night on the Texas House floor in protest after refusing a Republican demand to be placed under the watch of the state Department of Public Safety.

The chairman of the state Democratic Party said the lawmakers “are coming back to fight these racist maps in the legislature and then in the courts.”

The move will allow Republicans to move forward with their plan to redraw Texas' congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Texas Democratic lawmakers left two weeks ago to block a GOP plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts. They said they were returning now that California Democrats are adopting a counterproposal.

The Texas House gaveled in at noon with Democratic members present, marking an official end to the quorum break.

State Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth said she will remain locked in the Austin statehouse chamber until the House reconvenes Wednesday morning.

Texas redistricting battle intensifies as Republicans push for five new seats and California considers emergency measures to counteract Republican gains.

They already have more power than the vote totals justify,” Scudder said. “This isn’t about fairness — it’s about locking in control.”

The detainment of State Rep. Nicole Collier has drawn outrage and imagery of Black women’s suffrage in America. Texas State

For weeks, Texas Democrats have been doing everything in their power to draw national attention to a radical Republican plan to try to hang on to the House of Representatives in next year's midterms by gerrymandering the state's already heavily skewed maps even further.