Democrats have a surprising leverage point to stop the GOP's efforts to rig the House of Representatives during the 2026 midterm elections, according to one of the party's top leaders.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) joined progressive YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen on his show "No Lies" to discuss how Democrats can prevent Texas Republicans from further gerrymandering their congressional maps during an upcoming special session. The special session was announced by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott shortly after the devastating floods in Texas's Hill Country killed more than 100 people.
Jeffries said Democrats have some leverage to prevent the scheme because Texas's Republican House Speaker, Dustin Burrows, needed Democratic votes to earn the speakership.
"It's a coalition government, though, yes, Democrats are in the minority," Jeffries said. "And, so, I think it's going to be important for those Democrats in the Texas legislature who backed the current speaker to perhaps re-evaluate their support if the Republicans decide to go forward with a gerrymandered map designed to rig the congressional elections in the midterms in 2026."
Abbott announced that Texas lawmakers will enter a special session on July 21 to discuss 18 legislative priorities ranging from the Attorney General's election powers to flood warning systems and congressional redistricting.
The Texas governor claimed the redistricting efforts were preempted by a letter sent from Attorney General Pam Bondi telling state lawmakers that four congressional districts, each held by Democrats, are illegally drawn based on race.
That claim has since been refuted by testimony from Texas officials who told investigators that they did not consider race when creating the districts.
You can watch the entire discussion here.