Texas state Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, right, looks at a protester dressed as death standing outside of the House Chamber where Democratic Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier refuses to leave due to a required law enforcement escort, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)2025-08-20T10:09:59Z AUSTIN, Texas (AP) The first domino in a growing national redistricting battle is likely to fall Wednesday as the Republican-controlled Texas legislature is expected to pass a new congressional map creating five new winnable seats for the GOP.The vote follows prodding by President Donald Trump, eager to stave off a midterm defeat that would deprive his party of control of the House of Representatives, and weeks of delays after dozens of Texas Democratic state lawmakers fled the state in protest. Some Democrats returned Monday, only to be assigned round-the-clock police escorts to ensure their attendance at Wednesdays session. Those who refused to be monitored were confined to the House floor, where they protested on a livestream Tuesday night.Furious national Democrats have vowed payback for the Texas map, with Californias legislature poised to approve new maps adding more Democratic-friendly seats later this week. The map would still need to be approved by that states voters in November. Normally, states redraw maps once a decade with new census figures. But Trump is lobbying other conservative-controlled states like Indiana and Missouri to also try to squeeze new GOP-friendly seats out of their maps as his party prepares for a difficult midterm election next year. In Texas, Democrats spent the day before the vote continuing to draw attention to the extraordinary lengths the Republicans who run the legislature were going to ensure it takes place. Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier started it when she refused to sign what Democrats called the permission slip needed to leave the House chamber, a half-page form allowing Department of Public Safety troopers to follow them. She spent Monday night and Tuesday on the House floor, where she set up a livestream while her Democratic colleagues outside had plainclothes officers following them to their offices and homes. Stay up to date with the latest U.S. news by signing up to our WhatsApp channel. Dallas-area Rep. Linda Garcia said she drove three hours home from Austin with an officer following her. When she went grocery shopping, he went down every aisle with her, pretending to shop, she said. As she spoke to The Associated Press by phone, two unmarked cars with officers inside were parked outside her home. Its a weird feeling, she said. The only way to explain the entire process is: Its like Im in a movie. The trooper assignments, ordered by Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows, was another escalation of a redistricting battle that has widened across the country. Trump is pushing GOP state officials to tilt the map for the 2026 midterms more in his favor to preserve the GOPs slim House majority, and Democrats nationally have rallied around efforts to retaliate. Other Democrats join the protestHouse Minority Leader Gene Wu, from Houston, and state Rep. Vince Perez, of El Paso, stayed overnight with Collier, who represents a minority-majority district in Fort Worth. On Tuesday, more Democrats returned to the Capitol to tear up the slips they had signed and stay on the House floor, which has a lounge and restrooms for members. Dallas-area Rep. Cassandra Garcia Hernandez called their protest a slumber party for democracy, and she said Democrats were holding strategy sessions on the floor.We are not criminals, Houston Rep. Penny Morales Shaw said.Collier said having officers shadow her was an attack on her dignity and an attempt to control her movements.Republican leader says Collier is well within her rightsBurrows brushed off Colliers protest, saying he was focused on important issues, such as providing property tax relief and responding to last months deadly floods. His statement Tuesday morning did not mention redistricting, and his office did not immediately respond to other Democrats joining Collier.Rep. Colliers choice to stay and not sign the permission slip is well within her rights under the House Rules, Burrows said. Under those rules, until Wednesdays scheduled vote, the chambers doors are locked, and no member can leave without the written permission of the speaker. To do business Wednesday, 100 of 150 House members must be present. The GOP wants 5 more seats in TexasThe GOP plan is designed to send five additional Republicans from Texas to the U.S. House. Texas Democrats returned to Austin after Democrats in California launched an effort to redraw their states districts to take five seats from Republicans.Democrats also said they were returning because they expect to challenge the new maps in court. Republicans issued civil arrest warrants to bring the Democrats back after they left the state Aug. 3, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott asked the state Supreme Court to oust Wu and several other Democrats from office. The lawmakers also face a fine of $500 for every day they were absent. How officers shadowed Democratic lawmakersDemocrats reported different levels of monitoring. Houston Rep. Armando Walle said he wasnt sure where his police escort was, but there was still a heightened police presence in the Capitol, so he felt he was being monitored closely.Some Democrats said the officers watching them were friendly. But Austin Rep. Sheryl Cole said in a social media post that when she went on her morning walk Tuesday, the officer following her lost her on the trail, got angry and threatened to arrest her.Garcia said her 9-year-old son was with her as she drove home, and each time she looked in the rearview mirror, she could see the officer close behind. He came inside a grocery store where she shopped with her son.I would imagine that this is the way it feels when youre potentially shoplifting and someone is assessing whether youre going to steal, she said. ___Riccardi reported from Denver. John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, and Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report. JIM VERTUNO Vertuno has been covering news, sports and politics from Texas for The AP since 1998. He won a National Headliner Award for sports writing in 2013. twitter mailto