Greg Abbott signed a new Texas congressional map on August 29, 2025, in the middle of the decade, that creates five districts favorable to Republicans; a federal panel blocked it as a likely racial gerrymander before the Supreme Court reversed that ruling and let Texas use the map in 2026. In May 2024 he pardoned Daniel Perry, whom a Travis County jury had convicted of murdering a protester; in October 2025 he also authorized sending Texas National Guard troops to other states, a deployment to Chicago that the courts blocked.
Greg Abbott's Map, Pardon and Guard Deployment
- Abbott Signed a Mid-Decade Congressional Map That Creates Five New Republican-Leaning Seats. After the Justice Department sent him a letter in July 2025 threatening legal action over four Democratic-held districts, Greg Abbott put redistricting on the agenda of a special legislative session and told lawmakers to draw a new congressional map, CBS News reported; on August 29, 2025 he signed House Bill 4, the map that creates five new districts favorable to Republicans. In November 2025 a three-judge federal panel, in an opinion by a Trump appointee, blocked the map, citing a Justice Department letter and public statements by key Republican lawmakers that suggested the map-drawer reshaped districts by race to eliminate districts where Black and Latino voters together are a majority, NPR reported. The Supreme Court summarily reversed that ruling on April 27, 2026, and the map is in use for the 2026 elections.
- Abbott Pardoned the Man a Travis County Jury Convicted of Murdering an Austin Protester. The day after jurors in Travis County found Daniel Perry guilty of murdering Garrett Foster at a 2020 Austin protest, Greg Abbott asked the state parole board to review the case, and on May 16, 2024 he pardoned Perry, who had been sentenced to 25 years in prison, the Texas Tribune reported. Travis County District Attorney José Garza said the pardon sent "the message that the service of the Travis County community members who served on the grand jury and trial jury does not matter."
- Abbott Authorized Texas Guard Troops for a Chicago Deployment That the Supreme Court Ruled Against. In early October 2025, Greg Abbott said he fully authorized President Trump to send up to 400 Texas National Guard members to other states, rejecting a plea from Illinois's governor to refuse, the Texas Tribune reported on October 6, 2025. About 200 Texas Guard members were federalized and sent to the Chicago area, but a federal judge barred their deployment into the city, and on December 23, 2025 the Supreme Court ruled against Trump's use of the military in Illinois; the Congressional Budget Office put the Chicago deployment's cost at $21 million. In an October 2025 Texas Politics Project poll, 43% of Texans strongly opposed the move and another 8% somewhat opposed it.
What Greg Abbott's Actions Mean for Texas Voters and Juries
- The new map could shift five Texas U.S. House seats to Republicans in 2026. Texas voters will elect their U.S. House members in 2026 under the map Abbott signed, which could help Republicans win five more seats, NPR reported, after the Supreme Court cleared the way for it in December 2025.
- The man a Texas jury convicted of murdering a protester had his gun rights restored. The pardon proclamation absolved Perry and restored his right to own firearms, and Foster's partner Whitney Mitchell said the governor had "impugned that jury's just verdict," the Texas Tribune reported.
Frequently Asked Questions About Greg Abbott on Democracy and January 6
What is Greg Abbott's record on democracy and January 6 under Trump?
Greg Abbott put redistricting on a 2025 special-session agenda and signed a congressional map that creates five new Republican-leaning districts, which a federal panel found was likely a racial gerrymander before the Supreme Court reversed it. He pardoned Daniel Perry after a jury convicted Perry of murdering a protester, and in October 2025 he authorized Texas Guard troops for a Chicago deployment that the courts blocked.
Why did Greg Abbott redraw Texas's congressional map in 2025?
Greg Abbott added redistricting to the 2025 special session after the Justice Department's civil rights chief, Harmeet Dhillon, sent him a letter threatening legal action unless Texas reconfigured four Democratic-held districts, CBS News reported; President Trump's political team had pushed Texas Republican leaders earlier that year to explore a new map.
Do Texans support Greg Abbott sending the National Guard to other states?
No. In the Texas Politics Project's poll of October 10 to 20, 2025, a majority of Texans opposed Greg Abbott's decision to let the Texas Guard be deployed to other states, with 43% strongly opposed.
Last updated: 2026-10-26