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 Texas State Capitol was cleared of visitors Tuesday evening and closed to the public after a social media threat, the Texas Department of Public Safety said.

Texas Republicans mandated that Democratic lawmakers not be allowed to leave the state house without a permission slip and a police escort.

The effort is intended to help the G.O.P. win five more U.S. House seats in the midterm elections. Other states, red and blue, are likely to redraw their own maps.

More than 50 Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled their state two weeks ago in protest of their Republican colleagues’ aggressive redistricting plans have returned, restoring quorum and allowing the GO

Lawmakers are beginning to frame their ability to prevent new maps from passing during one special legislative session as a victory. But Republicans are poised to call another.