Texas Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting push isn’t popular with the state’s likely midterm voters, a poll released Monday shows.
Indeed, the survey of 1,921 likely midterm voters found that 62% oppose allowing the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature to redraw the state’s political maps, with 51% saying they strongly oppose. Meanwhile, just 31% of respondents support letting state lawmakers rejigger congressional representation.
Beyond those numbers, just 44% of those polled said they oppose Democrats leaving the state to prevent a vote on the GOP’s redistricting scheme. What’s more, 54% said it’s unacceptable for Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, both Republicans, to send state law enforcement officers to arrest lawmakers who fled to break quorum.
The survey, conducted Aug. 3-5 by Texas-based Z to A Research, which primarily does work for progressive clients, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.24%.
On a media call, company founder Nancy Zdunkewicz said the results should be alarming to Texas Republicans since the state’s midterm electorate skews heavily to the GOP, including those who voted for President Donald Trump in 2024.
“This should not be the reality: how unpopular [redistricting] is in a state where the fundamentals don’t favor Democrats. And yet we’re here,” Zdunkewicz said. “That’s how unpopular this is.”
Voters in the survey also said they think redistricting should be a lower priority in the Texas Legislature’s current special session than Hill Country flood relief and prevention, which 71% of voters said should be among the body’s top priorities. Reducing costs was second on the priority list with 60% support.
Meanwhile, just 26% of likely midterm voters said redrawing political maps should be a priority. Even broken down by voters who support and don’t support Abbott, just 46% who back the governor said redistricting should be a top focus.
“Voters really want [lawmakers] to be prioritizing flood relief right now,” Zdunkewicz said. “Unfortunately, that’s not what they’re focused on. They’re focused on redistricting. This is an ‘own goal’ for Republicans. It’s like vouchers — voters know Republicans are pushing it.”
While Z to A primarily does polling for Democratic candidates and progressive groups, Zdunkewicz said she didn’t conduct the poll with a particular outcome in mind. She added that the company took painstaking efforts to ensure it was getting a sampling of voters that truly reflects the state’s red-leaning political makeup.
“You can’t redefine what the electorate looks like to get the result that you want,” she said.
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This article appears in Aug 7-20, 2025.
